Hopeful Lucksters
by minitiffanydog
Summary: A collection of Komaegi one shots (and perhaps a bit more). I do not own Danganronpa or any of it's characters. Rated M for possible lemon, violence, and language (lemons will be marked).
1. intro

a collection of naegi x komaeda one shots

slightly crack

you have been warned


	2. 1 (how they met)

**(A/N: here's the first chapter! thank you to the mysterious guest who pushed me to update)**

Naegi stretched his hand out. _Almost... almost there...!_ But no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not reach. His outstretched hand was just short of the book he was trying to take off a library shelf. _If only I was taller... oh well, there's no helping it._ He turned and went to go look for a stool.

"Um..." Naegi was startled by a voice that came from behind him. "Is this the book you were trying to grab?"

The voice came from a tall boy with white, poofy hair and pale skin. His green-gray eyes were a shade very similar to his own. He had on a green jacket that sported red squares near one of his shoulders and grew in length towards the back, and a white shirt with a strange red, swooping line. He had on normal black jeans with a metal chain with a skull attached to it and both of his shoes had two zippers running along the front.

"Oh, thank you very much!" Naegi reached out his hand to grab the book and his fingers brushed the taller boy's.

"O-oh! I'm sorry, you had to touch trash such as myself..." The boy backed away and started to sweat nervously. "I can't go infecting people with my dirtiness, can I? Ahaha..."

Naegi frowned. "You shouldn't talk about yourself like that." He approached him and smiled. "My name is Naegi Makoto of the 78th batch. Nice to meet you!"

"Wow, someone so full of hope is willing to talk to me... I'm Komaeda Nagito of the 77th batch. I'm known as the Ultimate Lucky Student." Naegi didn't show it on his face, but Komaeda could sense that he was surprised. "Does that surprise you?"

"Y-yes, it does kind of surprise me... after all, I'm the Ultimate Lucky Student of my grade... or so I was told... haha..." He nervously scratched his cheek. "But in the end, I only got in by a random lottery, and it's not like I'm especially lucky either... but what a coincidence, meeting another Ultimate Lucky Student!"

"I can understand your feelings. Can luck even be considered a talent? Compared to a worm like me, the others with true talent shine so much more brightly... which is why I'm surprised you're the Ultimate Lucky Student, Naegi-kun. Just then, when you were reaching for that book with all your might, you were radiating hope so beautifully that I wish I was actual take a picture and keep it with me forever, but trash like me shouldn't take pictures of such radiant beings..." Komaeda muttered.

"You shouldn't call yourself trash, Komaeda-san. From talking to you just now, I can tell that you're a nice person." The younger boy smiled, disregarding his comment about the picture.

 _Such... such hope...!_ Komaeda laughed. "I appreciate the compliment. It seems I was really lucky to meet you here, since it's on Saturday and in the school library. Most people are outside enjoying the sun, but I'd rather be reading..." He sighed. "Well, I hope you enjoy your book, Naegi-san! I've read it before, and I personally enjoyed it, but you shouldn't be too worried about the opinions of a sewer rat like me." He walked to the tables, pulled out a chair, and sat down with a book in hand.

Naegi stared at him from afar. _What a strange person_ _..._ book in hand he walked over to Komaeda and sat across from him.

Without looking up, Komaeda remarked, "You're going to sit with trash like me?"

Naegi opened his book and replied, "You aren't trash, Komaeda-san. Besides, we're the only two people here anyway so it'd be awkward if I sat at a different table."

"Is that so..."

The two spent the next couple of hours in silence, each absorbed into the world of their books.

Komaeda was the first to finish his book. Gazing over the top of the last page, he stared at his features.

He very much wanted to pull on the pointy ahoge that sat atop his spiky, brown hair. His outfit choice was very interesting; he wore a black blazer with a pin on the right side on top of a green hoodie. His eyes, which were a shade of green-gray that were very similar to his own, scanned the pages.

Komaeda shut his book very quietly, but it didn't go unnoticed. Naegi glanced up from his book and asked, "Komaeda-san, are you hungry?"

"Huh? Me? Well, I suppose so."

"Then would you like to accompany me to the cafeteria? Despite it being a Saturday, I heard that Teruteru-san from your class is cooking food for today... and it'd be lonely if I went alone."

Completely serious, Komaeda said, "If you want me to, of course I'll go. If it's for the sake of hope, I'd be willing to do anything. I would even die if it was for hope, you know?"

"Now, now." Naegi's eyebrows etched together and his mouth formed a smile. "You shouldn't say such depressing things, Komaeda-san." He got up and pushed his chair in. "Then, let me just go check out this book and let's head down."

Komaeda watched the retreating back of the brunette. It was painstakingly obvious that the boy wanted to become friends with him (although why he'd want to become friends with trash like him, he would never know). It wasn't that Komaeda didn't like him, but... it would be bad if they grew too close. It would put him in danger.

But just one meal should be okay... right?

Komaeda put his book back in the shelf where he found it and made his way towards the library entrance, where Naegi was waiting for him with a smile.

"I'm sorry, did you wait long?"

"No, not at all, Komaeda-san. Let's go!"

As they walked down the mostly empty halls, Naegi and Komaeda chatted about their classmates. It seemed that both had to deal with interesting characters. Hearing about so many hopeful students filled Komaeda with joy. It filled him with so much joy that he didn't notice the banana peel a few steps ahead of Naegi until it was too late.

Naegi, who stepped on the banana peel, somersaulted in the air and was flung backwards. Komaeda ran forward to catch him.

And just as Naegi fell into his arms, a baseball came flying through the window and passed right by where Naegi would have been standing if not for the banana peel.

The two looked at each other and laughed. "I guess I am lucky."

"I guess you are."

Komaeda still had Naegi in a tight embrace.

"Ano... Komaeda-san, I'm okay, so you can let go of me now."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I was too deep in thought and I didn't realize." Komaeda released him from his grasp. His heart was beating abnormally fast. _What is this feeling?_

"What were you thinking about? You don't have to tell me if it's too personal." Resuming their walk, Naegi questioned him.

"...For some reason, I think it'd be okay to tell you." Komaeda whispered.

Naegi listened in silence.

"Ever since I was young, I've been affected by a cycle of extreme good luck and extreme bad luck. If something good happens to me, something bad follows soon after and vice versa. For example, let's say that I went to the supermarket. At the cash register, I'm informed that I am the 500th customer that day and they hand me a bag full of 500 bagels. Overjoyed, I walk home without checking their condition." His face darkened. "When I finally open the bag, I find that they're all moldy and stale and inedible. I also can't complain because the market mysteriously closed down the next day." He explained. "But of course, that'd just be a really mild case. And it doesn't just affect me, Naegi-kun. It affects the people around me too. I wouldn't want to get close to you and make you fall victim to my bad luck."

"Komaeda-san," Naegi poked him.

"I've already done enough harm to those around me when I was young, what if you end up getting hurt because of me? What if-"

"Komaeda-san." Naegi interrupted him. "I'm also an Ultimate Lucky Student, remember? Your cycle wouldn't affect me that much. And besides," he flashed a grin, "I'd rather risk getting hurt to get to know you than ignore you for my own safety."

Komaeda's cheeks heated up. "Th-then... would you like to be my friend?"

"Of course I would! That's what I've been saying all along," Naegi giggled. Turning away from his new friend, he pointed out that they were only a few feet away from the cafeteria. Both smiling, they walked in, chose their meals, and sat down at the same table.

Naegi had just grabbed the first thing he'd seen, because he knew that Teruteru's cooking was first class and everything would taste good anyway. He grabbed the sandwich and took a bite.

Komaeda, on the other hand, poked at his meal. He too had gotten a sandwich, but it was around half of the size of Naegi's. Considering their large difference in height, Naegi questioned him about this.

"Oh, I don't have a large appetite. Please don't worry too much about trash like me."

"Komaeda-kun! Don't call yourself trash!" He scolded in between bites of the sandwich. "..." Komaeda timidly bit into his sandwich. "Teruteru-kun never fails to amaze me..." Tears flowed down his face. "Is this what hope tastes like?"

"Ah, that's right, I almost forgot... Komaeda-kun, would you like to exchange mail addresses?" He pulled his phone out of his pocket and offered it to the older boy.

"I can't just refuse when you're asking so kindly..." Komaeda quickly input his mail and returned Naegi's phone. "Make sure to mail me so I can get yours too," he reminded Naegi.

"Sure." Naegi saw the time displayed on his phone and said, "Oh shoot, I lost track of time... I'm really sorry Komaeda-kun, I have to go back to my dorm, I promised someone I'd help them with something around this time." Sandwich secured between his teeth, he ran to the exit door while waving enthusiastically to Komaeda. Komaeda smiled and waved back.

"Naegi-kun..." A luckster just like him, but he was a full of hope. His eyes shone with hope. He radiated hope. And he had the potential to hold even more hope, or so Komaeda sensed. His heart thumped against his ribcage.

But was this really okay? Would his luck really not affect his new friend? Was it really worth it for his friend to risk his well-being just to hang out with trash?

After finishing his tiny sandwich, he got up from his seat and placed the tray atop a large pile. He decided it was about time call it a day and headed back towards the dorms.

On his way back, he heard a beeping sound come from his phone. He quickly pulled it out from his pocket and snapped it open. Just as he was hoping, Naegi had sent him a message.

" _Hello, Komaeda-kun! This is Naegi. I hope we can get to know each other better._ \^o^/"

Komaeda smiled. It couldn't hurt to just hang out with him in moderation, could it?


	3. 2 (Naegi's Despair Disease)

**(A/N-This takes place after the Danganronpa 3 anime. The chapters in this fanfic will not be in chronological order! / Naegi gets the Despair Disease and a worried Komaeda gets more than he bargained for. )**

Komaeda burst through the doors of the infirmary. "Naegi-kun!"

Naegi was lying down in a hospital cot with the blankets pulled up to his chin. At the sound of Komaeda's voice, he immediately sat up. "Yo, Nagito!"

 _N-Nagito? To have someone so full of hope call me by my first name... it makes me feel so- this isn't the time for this._ "Naegi-kun, are you okay? I heard that you collapsed suddenly after returning from your speech." He rushed to his bedside.

"Upupupupu..." Naegi smirked. "am I okay? I've never felt better! UPUPUPUPU!"

A chill ran down Komaeda's spine. "U-um... Naegi-kun?" Sweat rolled down his face and he took hold of Naegi by his shoulders. "Um... Naegi-kun, I don't think you're okay." He touched his hand to his forehead. "Woah! That's a high temperature you've got there."

"High temperature? Who cares?" Naegi giggled. "I actually feel _terrible_! But this is filling me with so much despair... UPUPUPUPU! This is amazing!"

Komaeda blinked. "Is this the despair disease?"

"No, this is Naegi Makoto!"

"Yup, this is the despair disease." He immediately called Togami. "Togami-san, Naegi-kun is in a bit of a predicament. Could you please come quickly? Thank you." He hung up and looked back at Naegi.

"Huuuuuuuuh? You think this is some silly disease? I am despair itself! You think this is a curable dis- umph!"

Komaeda covered Naegi's mouth with his hand. "I'm sorry for doing this, Naegi-kun, but I can't bear hearing you talk like this any longer. Although when you're back to normal, I guess your hope will seem even more hopeful... I can't wait to see it." He leaned down and put his face in front of Naegi's. "Na-e-gi-kun."

Naegi's face seemed to flush further. In an attempt to get Komaeda to retract his hand, he tried to push the older boy's arm away, but Komaeda grabbed onto Naegi's wrists with his free arm. Out of options, he stuck out his tongue and licked Komaeda's hand. He looked at Komaeda with a, " _How do you like that?"_ look.

Komaeda gasped. "No... you can't lick me... such a dirty being like me... that you would lick someone like me... I'm honored! Ah, this feels... kind of weird though..." Komaeda blushed. "But since you hate it so much, I'll retract my hand."

Komaeda placed the hand that was recently blocking Naegi's speech and placed it against his lips. "Ah... an indirect kiss with Naegi-kun! Ahaha... maybe it was good luck that Naegi-kun got the despair disease?"

Disgusted, Naegi ordered, "Get on the floor, Nagito, with your head facing upwards. Yeah, like that." He climbed out of bed and put two feet on both sides of Komaeda. "Since you like me so much, I'll do something for you." He raised his foot and stomped on his crotch.

"?!" Komaeda's eyes widened and tears welled up. "T-this is kind of painful, Naegi-kun." His smile was extremely strained. "Although it's my rightful place to be getting stepped on, please step on somewhere elSE?!" Much to his dismay, he was stomped on again in the same spot. "Please... stop..." He struggled to breathe. "It's quite... painful... Naegi-kun."

"Good! That's the point!" He started to add in kicks and rubs in addition to his stomps.

Komaeda didn't know when, but it eventually started to feel good. A quiet moan slipped out of his mouth. He felt Naegi stop in midair and stare at him in bewilderment. "You're enjoying this? What a perv!" He stomped harder, rubbed harder, and kicked harder, but the bulge in Komaeda's pants only grew larger.

"Ah... ah... I can't believe I'm showing such a... disgusting thing... to Naegi-kun..." Komaeda covered his face in embarassment.

"You perv! You're getting off on this?" Naegi sighed. "I should've known that you'd enjoy this... but your embarassed face is so full of despair! Ah, it might just make _me_ hard!"

"N-Naegi-kun, s-stop it... please... ah! Please..." He covered his mouth so his moans wouldn't escape. "Please stop... I'm going to... I'm going to...!"

The bulge in his pants finally disappeared, but a wet stain was left behind in its stead. "I'm... so sorry... I dirtied your shoes, have't I? But the fact that trash like me got to feel so much pleasure because of your despair... I don't know if it fills me with hope or not..."

"You actually came from me _stepping_ on you? Ya know, during that first trial I thought ya might be a sadist, but I guess you're just a hardcore masochist. Oh, I'll make it so you can't go a day without me. Now get on your knees and palms."

"Huh? Naegi-kun, what're you sayin-"

"I said to- you know what?" The younger boy grabbed him and twirled him so that he landed with knees and palms on the floor.

"N-Naegi-kun? What are you doing? I'd do anything for the sake of hope, but you aren't hope right now..."

"What do you think I'm doing?" He slipped off his pants. "Hope schmope! You were feeling so much pleasure even though I'm despair. But here I was, unable to feel anything. That filled me with so much despair... oh! How great it felt!" He was about to slip off his boxers when the doors were slammed open.

"Komaeda! What do you mean by Naegi's in a predicament? How's his condi...tion..."

Togami took in the sight before him. Komaeda was on the floor panting with wet pants and Naegi stood directly behind him with his pants off. "Ara? It's Togami-kun! Tch. That means I can't continue." Naegi hastily pulled his pants back on and went back into his bed. "And after I got so fired up, too... this is filling me with so much despair! UPUPUP!"

"Uh... Komaeda, care to explain what happened?" The Ultimate Affluent Progeny asked him from outside.

"Naegi-kun... seems to have... the... Despair Disease... I'm not sure how or why, though." He quickly stood up and covered himself up with his jacket. "I'm sorry for making you see such a disgusting sight... evidence that trash like me enjoyed-"

"Okay. Despair Disease. Got it. Get out of his room for now." He grabbed Komaeda's arm and threw him out of the room.

"This is the Ultimate Affluent Progeny for sure... this commanding atmosphere is so full of-"

"Shut up. Not another word from you. You make Naegi experience some interesting side affects. so stay away from this room until he's completely recovered."

"Okay, Togami-san. I'll be off then." Komaeda walked off into the distance, presumably towards his room.

That day, the Future Foundation members vowed to keep Naegi away from the Despair Disease research lab. How he contracted a virtual disease, no one knew. Luckily, his disease was gone the next day, and he did not retain any memories from when he had it. But one thing was certain- they would never allow him to be afflicted by it again.


	4. 3 (from kun to senpai)

**(A/N- Thank you, nekoshy13! It's nice to hear that you enjoyed it :) / Naegi starts to call Komaeda senpai.)**

"Komaeda...senpai."

"Eh?" Komaeda stared at Naegi in shock. "Naegi-kun, why the -senpai? I don't deserve respect. I'm okay with being called -kun."

"But... calling you by -kun is too disrespectful. Senpai, you're amazing in your own ways. You deserve respect. You aren't trash, senpai."

Komaeda blushed. "But all I have going for me is my luck, and that usually brings misfortune to those around me."

Naegi laughed. "You're more than just your luck, senpai."

"Thanks, Naegi-kun."

"Mm."

/

 **Naegi will be calling Komaeda "Komaeda-senpai" or "senpai" from now on. No more of that "-kun" business.**


	5. 4 (sports day)

Komaeda stared at Naegi as he ran. The entire 78th batch was running on the track for their physical tests, and he couldn't keep his eyes off of that one boy. Even though it could be clearly seen that Naegi was not the most athletic of the bunch, the determination in his eyes drew other students' eyes towards him. People who never talked to him before found themselves on their feet cheering for him.

Komaeda's breath grew ragged and he felt saliva dripping down his mouth. Hoping nobody noticed, he quickly wiped it away with his blazer sleeve while whispering, "So much hope..."

Naegi managed to finish in the higher ranked half of the class. Komaeda spotted him smiling triumphantly next to his classmates. "Uwa-!?" He clapped his hands over his mouth. He did _not_ mean to make any sounds. There was just too much hope in this one scene... there was Naegi, then there were all the other elites, all trying their best to do well... it was amazing.

"Oi, Komaeda, do you have a girl you like in the 78th batch or something? You've been staring at them for a while now." Souda plunked down on the empty bleacher space next to Komaeda. Teruteru did the same.

"Ahhhh, Komaeda! The fruit of a first love... is it blossoming within you?" Leaning in closer, he whispered, "Dont think I didn't notice you wiping your drool and the face you were making. How about I teach you a few things to make someone unable to survive without your body?"

Komaeda looked at Teruteru with scorn. "No thanks." Turning to Souda, he said, "And yes, there is a person that I like in the 78th batch. I'd prefer to not be bothered about it, but if it's what you really want..."

"So you're into younger ones, eh?" Souda poked him.

Komaeda smiled. "It's not a matter of age. He just shines so brightly with hope, I can't keep my eyes off of him! Ah, but trash like me shouldn't stare..."

Souda facepalmed. "Of course, it's because of their hope, huh... wait. HE? HIM?"

But Komaeda was completely focused on Naegi. The brunette was receiving high fives from his classmates with a large smile one his face. Then, he turned around and noticed Komaeda. Grinning from ear to ear, he waved and shouted, "Komaeda-senpai!"

Komaeda gasped. _He's greeting trash like me so enthusiastically_ _!_ He smiled and waved back.

"Poor kid... has no idea what he's getting himself into..." Souda shook his head sympathetically.

Teruteru nodded in agreement.

Komaeda got up from his bleacher seat and ran towards Naegi. "Naegi-kun! That was magnificent! Your hope was shining so brightly!"

"Ehehe... was it? Thanks, Komaeda-senpai." He sheepishly scratched his cheek. "My results weren't the best though..."

"No!" Komaeda grabbed his wrists. "You did amazingly well! And everyone was on their feet cheering for you because of how how much you shined... ah." He let go his wrists. "Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about, senpai."

"Naegi-kun. Is this someone you know?" A girl with long lavender hair looked Komaeda up and down.

 _This must be... Kyouko Kirigiri-san._ Komaeda resisted the urge to fanboy.

"Kirigiri-san, this is Komaeda Nagito from the 77th class. He's the Ultimate Luck. Komaeda-senpai, this is-"

"Kirigiri Kyouko-san, right? The Ultimate Detective."

As curt as ever, she asked, "How do you know who I am?"

"There are online forums about all the ultimates... I mean, you're all the most talented, right? Compared to me, who just got in through my luck, you're legitimately talented... so there are online forums that talk about all of you! It's amazing! There are so many people who are inspired by your hope!"

Kirigiri eyed him with suspicion. Naegi laughed nervously and said, "Komaeda-senpai loves hope, Kirigiri-san."

"Yes. I can see that. Well, I'll be off now. See you later, Naegi-kun."

The two of them watched her walk into the distance. "Haa... of course she wouldn't want to be near trash like me... I can't believe she even bothered to converse with trash like me...! I'm so honored!"

"Komaeda-senpai. You aren't trash."

"But that's an indisputable fact!" He broke out into maniacal laughter. "HhhhkhAHAAHAHAHAHAHA! That someone with as much hope as you would even bother hanging out with me... I really must be lucky."

"Me too, senpai. I must be very lucky to have gotten into this school and have met everyone that I know today. And that includes you, Komaeda-senpai."

"H-huh? Lucky? To meet _me_?" Komaeda blushed. No one had seemed this genuinely glad to have met him before. "I... thanks. Naegi-kun."

"Mm."

Meanwhile, Souda and Teruteru were looking at the two from afar. "Should we tell Komaeda that we were dismissed for the day? It looks Komaeda's having a moment, and I don't really wanna interrupt..."

"Huh? I thought you felt bad for that adorable lookin' kid!"

"Yeah, but..." Souda muttered.

"Whatever." Teruteru jumped off the bleachers and yelled, "OIIIII! Komaeda! We're dismissed for today!"

Komaeda whipped around and yelled back, "Thanks for telling me!"

"See? Not that hard. He wouldn't get mad at us, anyway. The only time I've ever seen him angry is when I almost tricked Sonia into sucking my balls..."

"Heh, you're right about that. I've never seen him angr- WAIT. WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? WHAT DID YOU ALMOST MAKE SONIA-SAN DO?" Teruteru had already run into the distance. "YOU LITTLE- GET BACK HERE!"

Komaeda chuckled. His classmates never changed.

"Erm.. Komaeda-senpai, are you free tomorrow?"

"Huh?"

"Are you free tomorrow? There's a movie I really wanted to watch, but I don't want to go alone... I already asked some other people, and all of them turned me down."

"A-and you want to go see it with me? I'm honored! I'll go with you."

"Then... I'm going now. Bye, Komaeda-senpai! The movie starts around 1 PM. See you tomorrow!"

"See you."

And the hopeful boy left the luckster alone on the school track, rethinking his entire life. This was the first time anyone invited him out. He was labelled as creepy (why couldn't anyone understand him?) or as "that rich kid" and was generally avoided or disliked. Even he could tell this much.

He couldn't remember the last time someone even considered him his friend. He was definitely lucky to have met Naegi.

What worried him was what would come after.

There's no way something bad _wouldn't_ happen. That was just the way of life for him. Something good happens, something bad happens. Or something bad happens and then something good happens. This cycle held true for his entire life. So what kind of bad luck would be equivalent to the good luck that led to him meeting Naegi in the library that day?

For now, he pushed the worries into a far corner of his head. Worrying wouldn't make Naegi happy at all, he learned. Calling himself trash wouldn't make Naegi happy, either. In fact, anything negative made him upset.

He was so pure.

Komaeda sighed. All he could hope for was that the bad luck to come wouldn't affect Naegi.


	6. 5 (unlucky first date)

**/This chapter is really weird. I don't really know either. I let my mind go wherever it wanted to and _this_ happened. I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**-Thank you nekoshy13 for your kind review, as always!**

"S-Senpai. This is kind of embarassing." Naegi pulled his scarf up to his cheeks to cover his bright red blush.

"Eh? If you don't like it, we can stop." Komaeda loosened his hold on Naegi's hand.

"N-no," Naegi tightened his grip, "It's not like I don't like it but... everyone is staring..."

"Naegi-kun, it's okay if they stare. We should show everyone how strong our love and hope are!"

"...senpai, you're making me blush."

"Haha! Am I?" Komaeda grinned.

It was their long awaited first date. Komaeda had finally gotten around to asking Naegi out and Naegi had accepted after thinking over it for a while.

"Senpai, I heard there's a really good crepe stand down the road. Let's go there."

"Crepes, huh? Sounds good. Let's go."

As the two made their way down the street, the whispers around them grew louder. _"Are those Hopes Peak students?" "I saw them on the discussion thread." "Are they dating?" "That boy is adorable!"_

Komaeda stopped walking and shouted, "As you can see, Naegi-kun is currently taken by me, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't ogle him. Thank you."

 _"Ogle?" "Who does he think he is?" "I'm sure that boy was just forced into it, poor thing."_

"Komaeda-senpai..." Naegi worriedly looked at his boyfriend.

Laughing quietly, Komaeda responded, "It doesn't matter what they say. My luck will take care of everything for me."

"That sounds dangerous."

"Does it?" They reached the crepe stand and started to order. At that moment, lightning randomly struck where the people who had been speaking badly of them stood, despite the fact that there were no gray clouds in the sky. "See? My luck took care of everything."

"Your luck sure is something, senpai..."

"Is it? You're pretty lucky too, aren't you?"

With a mouthful of crepe, Naegi replied, "Nwot weawy."

"What do you mean, 'Not really?' You managed to get into Hope's Peak! That's lucky enough!"

"Yeah, but..." Naegi swallowed the rest of his crepe. "It's more like I got in through a series of multiple unlucky events. I told you, right?"

"Hm... I guess your luck is like mine, except instead of one extreme bad and one extreme good, it's a lot of smaller bads that add up to a greater good?"

"Mhm. Like that."

"Ah, speaking of which, Naegi-kun. Could I try a bit of your crepe?"

"Sure!"

Komaeda leaned over and took a small bit of Naegi's crepe. _An indirect kiss with Naegi-kun!_ Komaeda was secretly overjoyed on the inside. "Naegi-kun, is this strawberry with nutella?"

"Yeah." Naegi leaned over and took a bite of the crepe in Komaeda's hands. "Is this... the savory chicken one?"

"Yup! I always prefered salty or savory to sweet, and this was the only savory one... do you like it?"

"It tastes delicious!" Naegi laughed. "You sure do have good taste, senpai."

"Me, good taste? Thank you for the compliment, Naegi-kun. It makes me happy that someone like you would enjoy the same things as trash like me."

Naegi exasperatedly asked, "Senpai, how many times do I have to tell you? You aren't trash!"

"But no matter how much you say that, it's undeniable that I'm trash."

Naegi defiantly stared upwards at Komaeda. Komaeda stared back with the same intensity.

Naegi sighed. "Fine. You win. But even if you think you're trash, you better not be doubting that I like you. I'd like and love you even if you really were trash."

"But that wording makes it sound like you aren't convinced that I'm trash?" Komaeda laughed softly. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Of course you aren't trash! But for today, I'll stop trying to convince you."

"'Let's focus on the date for today,'... is what you're thinking, right?" Komaeda smirked.

Bewildered, Naegi looked up at the taller boy. "How did you... you know me too well."

"Well then, Naegi-kun. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Hmm... what about the movie theater? There's a mystery movie that I've been meaning to watch."

"Mystery, huh... sure, let's go! As long as it doesn't have to do with... you know... ah! No, it's okay, it's okay even if it does. If Naegi-kun wants to watch it, I'll watch it even if it kills me."

"Please don't say something as scary as that. And don't worry, I already checked online if it had anything to do with kidnapping, and we're in the clear."

"Are we? That's a relief..." A dark look entered his eyes. "Although if Naegi-kun really wanted to watch it I wouldn't mind, but it's possible that I'd end up doing something pretty bad in the middle of the film."

"Ha... is that so?" Naegi made a mental note to never take Komaeda to watch any potentially triggering movies.

/

"That was a great movie, wasn't it?" Naegi threw the empty bag of popcorn into the trashcan.

"It was wonderful! The mysteries themselves were intricate and complex, and the protagonist really went above and beyond when he was searching for clues. There was so much hope in his role! Do you think a sequel is going to come out, Naegi-kun? The actor was good, too. I could really feel the hope. Ah, I've been talking for too long, haven't I? Sorry, Naegi-kun. I'm sure the opinion of trash like me-"

"Your opinion is important to me Komaeda-senpai. If you're happy, then I'm happy."

Komaeda's normally pale face flushed and became as bright red as a strawberry. "I..."

At that moment, Naegi tripped over thin air and was flung forward to a staff room door. Upon making contact, his head pushed the door inwards and caused it to open.

"Naegi-kun!" Komaeda ran towards where Naegi landed.

Naegi started to get up from the floor. Rubbing his head, he muttered, "Ouch..."

Komaeda looked into the room behind Naegi. "For a staff room, it sure is empty." Something about the room was... offsetting. It was too quiet.

Then, Komaeda saw it. A single drop of crimson flowing down from a seemingly empty chair and falling into a puddle of blood red. Walking towards it, he whispered, "Naegi-kun, we should get out of here."

"You're right, we shouldn't be in a room for staff only." He got up and started to walk away but turned around and stood in the doorway to wait for Komaeda. "Senpai?"

"Let's me just confirm something." Komaeda peeked over the top edge of the chair.

And on the seat was a delicately placed dismembered head.

A chill ran through Komaeda. His first thought was, _I need to get Naegi-kun out of here._

And as his face contorted into a twisted smile, his second thought was, _I might just get to see a hope as great as that detective's._

With a loud _bang!_ a masked man jumped out of a nearby closet and fired a pistol in Komaeda's general direction. It was completely off the mark and somehow managed to be shot towards Naegi instead.

Face returning to normal, Komaeda quickly whirled around and leaped towards Naegi, hands outstretched to knock him over in hopes of the bullet flying overhead.

Alas, the bullet was quicker.

But even faster than that was the force of Naegi's bad luck. Naegi somehow managed to slip on nothing again, narrowly avoiding the bullet which would have hit him square in the forehead. Komaeda quickly tumbled to save time from falling and grabbed Naegi by the hood. Slinging him over his shoulder, Komaeda sprinted out the door and towards the entrance.

"Naegi-kun! I'm sorry for handling you so roughly, but... your safety is my first priority!"

"Senpai, shouldn't we tell someone about what you saw in there?"

"You're my first priority, Naegi-kun!"

A bullet flew past Komaeda, just grazing the tip of his ear.

"Senpai!" Naegi screamed.

"It's okay if I die, Naegi-kun!" Komaeda laughed gleefully. "If it's for hope, I'd gladly die!"

Eyes currently glued to the gunman, Naegi couldn't find it in him to reply. The man had his pistol whipped out in front of him and ready to shoot. "Senpai, I don't think running straight ahead is a good idea. If possible, could we get to the entrance in a roundabout way?"

"Hm? Of course!" Komaeda made a sharp turn into another hallway and continued to zoom around, making twists and turns very frequently.

"Senpai, we lost that masked guy, so you can slow down for now. And uh... you can put me down."

Komaeda gently placed Naegi back on the floor. He kneeled over with hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. "Why is this... ha... theater... so big?"

"Senpai, we should be near the entrance. Let's get out of here first."

"O...kay..." He straightened himself up and attempted to walk forwards, but found that his shaking legs could no longer support his body.

Naegi wrapped Komaeda around himself. "Here."

"Oh... thank you."

Naegi trudged forward, making sure to alert everyone and anyone that he saw that there was a dangerous person on the loose. Some people seemed skeptical at first, but they believed them when they were shown Komaeda's bleeding ear.

"Komaeda-senpai... are you okay?"

"Yeah, this is just a scratch."

Reaching up to examine his ear, Naegi replied indignantly, "This is not just a scratch. We have to get this treated immediately."

"Shouldn't we call the police first?"

"..." Naegi sighed and pulled out his phone. After alerting the cops of the current situation, he turned back to face Komaeda and said, "Okay. Now we're leaving this theater and going to see Mikan-san because I'm sure her treatment is even better than most." Naegi charged towards the door, but Komaeda suddenly said,

"Stop. Naegi-kun, wait a moment. Don't you want to see the police fighting that guy and figuring out what happens? Such a situation entails that hope will be present. Wouldn't it be a waste to leave?"

"No." Naegi attempted to pick up Komaeda so he wouldn't have a chance to escape. "We are- oof!- LEAVING."

Komaeda couldn't help but smile at his boyfriend's attempts to pick him up. "Don't worry, I wouldn't dare go against your wishes and run back, even though there might be a scene so full of hope coming up that I'd be dazzled out of my mind-"

"No, Komaeda-senpai." Giving up on carrying, he slung Komaeda's arms over his shoulders and kept a firm grasp on his wrists. "We are going to see Mikan-san." Naegi pushed open the doors of the theater and took a step outside. He gave a meaningful look to Komaeda and said, "I know that you really love hope, but you should never place it above yourself, senpai."

"Naegi-kun? What are you talking about? Hope is absolute good!" Komaeda grinned and a dark aura surrounded him. "Hope is absolute good, Naegi-kun. So naturally, trash like me would do anything to promote hope!" Clenching his fist, Komaeda declared, "That trash like me could even help hope prevail and grow stronger... it's like a dream!"

"Komaeda-senpai. If you were to die, or even get injured, it would cause me a lot of sadness. So please don't do anything that could put you in danger."

"Sad for me, huh... that'd be a first." His eyes clouded over.

Naegi let go of Komaeda's wrists and took a step away. Turning around, he said, "Senpai, could you close your eyes for a second?"

"Huh? Okay." Komaeda shut his eyes.

Naegi went on the very tips of his toes and pecked Komaeda on the lips. "Please don't get hurt, senpai." He looked away, blushing.

Komaeda stared at Naegi wide-eyed. He thought that Naegi had agreed to date him out of pity, but no one, especially someone as pure as Naegi, would kiss someone that they didn't genuinely like. "Naegi...kun..."

"Senpai, although I do know some major things that happened in your past, there's no way I can know everything that happened and everything that you think, so I can never comprehend the amount of pain you've felt. But _please_. There are people who care for you now. Don't do anything that will make us worry, senpai. People like you more than you think."

"Like... me?" Komaeda looked at Naegi quizzically.

"Yes. They enjoy your presence. I enjoy being next to you. Just being near you calms me down and makes me happy." Naegi looked away. "...That was more embarrassing to say aloud than I thought it'd be."

A smile crept onto Komaeda's face. "Say, Naegi-kun. Are you hungry?"

A growl came from Naegi's stomach. Laughing in embarrassment, Naegi sheepishly admitted, "I guess I am. But we'll eat after going to see Mikan-san."

"Naegi-kun, about today's date..."

"Today was a train wreck of a first date, wasn't it?"

"No, not at all! Just being with you makes it a great date, Naegi-kun." Komaeda ruffled Naegi's hair. "I love you, Naegi-kun."

"Wha-what?!" The tips of Naegi's ears grew red from more than just the cold.

"It's okay if your feelings for me aren't quite 'love'. As long as you're happy, I'll be happy. As long as you're well, I'll be well. If you die, I will gladly-"

"Komaeda-senpai!"

"Haha, just joking."

"How many times do I have to tell you, senpai?" Don't-"

"-joke about things like that. Mm. I know. I'll try not to from now own."

"Good. And uh... do you know where Mikan-san's dorm room is?"

"Yeah. Wait a second." Komaeda pulled out his phone and called Mikan. "Mikan-san? I'm going to come over to your room for a second. Please don't be too surprised."

The two stood in front of the Hope's Peak Academy dormitory. "Naegi-kun, follow me."

/

"H-Hwaaaa?! Komaeda-san, w-what happened?! A-ahh, you d-don't have to tell me if y-you don't want to! I'm sorry!"

Komaeda smiled. "A bullet flew past my ear. Naegi-kun wants you to take care of it."

"N-Naegi-kun...? Ah!" Mikan turned to face Naegi, who was fidgeting nervously in the doorway. With an almost complete change in demeanor, she giggled and said, "I-I'm Mikan Tsumiki! It's very nice to meet you!"

"Ah... I'm Naegi Makoto. It's very nice to meet you too."

Mikan burst into tears. "N-nice t-to meet me?" She collapsed to the floor and bowed to Naegi. "T-thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"H-huh?" Naegi started to panic. "M-Mikan-san, please don't bow your head to me. Mikan-san, please get up!"

"O-okay..." Mikan got up while wiping her eyes. "I-it's just that... most people are really mean to me, s-so..."

"Why would anyone be mean to you, Mikan-san?" Naegi cocked his head. "You seem to be a very nice person."

"N-nice... person? T-thank you! Thank you so much! Thank yo-"

"You don't have to thank me over every little thing you know..." Naegi laughed nervously. The way she acted somewhat reminded him of Komaeda. He was sure that Komaeda was in good hands. "Um, Mikan-san... could you start patching up Komaeda-senpai?"

"Huh? Sure!" Pulling out an impressive array of medical supplies from a nearby cabinet, she got to work on Komaeda's ear, disinfecting it and quickly bandaging it. Her previous nervousness seemed to be gone and her motions were full of confidence.

"Done!" She looked at Komaeda's ear proudly, like an artist looking at a painting that was finished after many hours of hard work. "Please apply this medicine to it daily until it's completely healed. It would be bad if it got infected. If it does, please come to me the moment you find out."

"Okay, Mikan-san. Thank you very much." Komaeda touched his bandaged ear. "Since it was you who bandaged it up, I'm sure it'll heal in no time."

"H-huh? Why is everyone being so nice to me today? I-is there something you'd like..." Mikan started to unbutton her button-down shirt and pressed her chest against Komaeda's arm. "...in return?"

Komaeda pushed Mikan away. "No, that's okay. It's a given that I'd treat someone with so much talent and hope with respect." He headed towards the door where Naegi was waiting. "See you later!"

"B-bye!" Mikan waved happily.

The two walked away from the female dormitories and started to head back to the male's.

"Komaeda-senpai."

"Yes?"

"I appreciate that you wanted to save me so badly, but you should value yourself more."

"Is that so? Even though I don't seem to care for myself one bit, I still have some pride, you know."

"Then you shouldn't risk your life for me!"

"Naegi-kun, prioritizing your safety and me not valuing myself are not the same thing. Your safety is more important than me because you're like a sapling of hope that will spread hope to everyone around you. You can plant seeds of hope deep into people. I, with my luck, do not have the ability to do so." Seeing that Naegi was about to interrupt, he rose his finger to Naegi's lips and said, "I'm not being self depreciating right now. I'm being realistic. How can I, with my luck, spread hope to others? Bad things are bound to happen to people who grow close to me. That would only bring despair to them and to me. And so, there's no logical way that I could spread hope."

Naegi stuck out his tongue and licked Komaeda's finger. Komaeda withdrew his finger in surprise. "Senpai, everyone has the ability to spread hope. Even a newborn baby who has no skills whatsoever gives hope to its parents and those around it. Likewise, you, with your Ultimate Luck, have the ability to fill others with hope, whether you believe it or not." Naegi stuttered, "I-I mean... you fill me with h-hope all the time!"

Komaeda's eyes widened. Looking away, he laughed and ruffled Naegi's hair. "You're wonderful, Naegi-kun."

"Ah, my room is right around the corner. I'll go first then. Your room is upstairs, right?" He ran off, waving to Komaeda as he went.

Komaeda smiled and waved back at Naegi. _Naegi_... _the one who is always getting filled by the other's hope... is me..._ Komaeda's eyes grew sorrowful and his eyebrows slacked. _If my cycle of luck were to affect you, I don't know what I'd do..._

And like he always did, he pushed aside his sorrows and fears and stored them deep inside himself. His face, previously full of sadness and worry, had a gentle smile on display. If someone were to look at him, no one would know how he was truly feeling deep inside.

That would be true... for most people.

But there was one person who could see through his happy facade and saw the darkness he harbored within. Blonde pigtails swaying in the wind, she lowered her binoculars and licked her lips.

"Could this be... another fateful encounter?"


	7. 6 (tutoring)

**Komaeda tutoring Naegi.**

"Senpai, is this correct?"

"Yes, it is! As expected of Naegi-kun!"

"Finally... I got it right..." Naegi leaned his head back on the bed behind him.

"Why do you need to know this? The exams at Hope's Peak don't have to do with academics." Komaeda stared at Naegi, who was exhausted from studying all night.

"Even so, it's important for me to stay educated. You never know when you'll need it." Naegi yawned.

"You should get started on the next set of problems. I'll get us some tea." Before heading out the door, he turned back and warned, "Knowing my luck, it's quite possible that the tea will not turn out as it should."

"It's fine. I'd drink and eat anything you made for me." Naegi beamed at Komaeda.

/

Komaeda opened the door quietly so he wouldn't disturb Naegi. He was surprised when he was asked to tutor him, but since the younger boy seemed to want it so badly, he gladly accepted. He was still curious as to why Naegi asked _him_ of all people, though. There were much more intelligent people out there who could have taught him much better.

"Naegi-kun? I'm back with tea." Komaeda set the tray of tea down on the table. "Naegi-kun?"

Said boy was fast asleep with his arms and head atop the table. His breathing was very soft and peaceful. His long bangs covered his face.

He wrapped Naegi with the blanket from his bed.

The tea he made was definitely not normal tea. Anyone could tell from a glance that that strange, murky substance could not be considered "tea". So maybe it was good luck that Naegi fell asleep, so he did not force himself to drink this possibly poisonous concoction to spare Komaeda's feelings (although the boy himself wouldn't mind if Naegi didn't drink it, really.

But that, of course, wasn't the only reason he thought Naegi falling asleep counted as good luck.

Komaeda pushed aside Naegi's fringe. _His lashes are so long_ , he observed. He was so lucky to have a man like this by his side.

He kissed him on his forehead. Smiling compassionately, he whispered, "Sleep tight."

/

 **This is a short I wrote in honor of a very important event happening. School has once again started up for me, and I won't be able to update as often. My updates will become** ** _very_** **sporadic and sparse, and I apologize in advance for that.**

 **Thank you to the anon, AverageFangirlEd, and TheKawaiiPatato for leaving kind words! I'm sorry that I was unable to write a longer chapter!**


	8. 7 (a sad and despairing egg)

**Naegi has fallen to despair. Not crack like the despair disease one. More serious + sad. Enjoy. This takes place after the ending of the DR3 anime. (Also, Komaeda and Naegi call each other by their first names now).**

Komaeda stared at the smaller man. He was still smiling, still laughing, still talking like usual.

So what was different? What was wrong?

The shine in Naegi's eyes were gone, replaced by a dull and monotone washed-out hazel. Nothing was especially special or strange about his actions. But even still, no matter the action he was performing, it just felt... off.

Naegi reached for a book on the bookshelf. Going on the very tips of his toes, he reached his arm out as far as he could. His fingers barely grazed the spine.

Komaeda walked over and easily removed the book from its spot on the shelf with his mechanical hand. "Here, Makoto."

Naegi stared at him blankly, like he was in a trance. There was a very faint red tint in his eyes.

"Makoto?"

"Huh? Oh, thanks. I was just thinking about how this is just like the first time we met..." Naegi looked at a far corner of the Future Foundation library, face growing distant.

"Makoto, if there's anything wrong, you can tell me."

Naegi started to visibly perspire. His eyes darted to the side. "Nothing's wrong. Don't worry about me." His eyes returned to Komaeda's. "After all, I'm the Ultimate Hope! Being optimistic is all I've got going for me..." His eyes looked down at his shoes on the ground.

That day was a rare day off for the two of them, forcibly given to them by the new higher-ups. They claimed that they were overworking themselves and should have a day to enjoy themselves. And thus, Naegi was back in his usual attire. His green hoodie had become a bit small on him, but he could still wear it comfortably. His new Future Foundation blazer was snugly on top of his jacket. His black jeans hugged his long legs.

His red sneakers seemed to thud violently against the floor and his memories, reminding him of what used to be. He couldn't repress a little nostalgic smile at the thought of their killing game days. Although it was a horrible experience, that he was able to meet so many wonderful friends... maybe he really was lucky?

No. Of course he wasn't. He was more like the Ultimate _Unlucky_ Student. In that school building, so many of them had died...

"Eh? Makoto? Your book..."

"Hey, Nagito. Do you think they're happy?"

"They?"

"Do you think my friends are happy in the afterlife? Does anything like that even exist?"

"Makoto..."

"Because of me... they're all dead, huh..." Naegi turned around to face Komaeda. The red in his eyes were more noticeable now. "And even in recent times, I loved two people at once. I really am a horrible person..."

The change in color did not escape Komaeda's keen eye. Worried, he remarked, "You're starting to sound like me."

"Am I?" His downcast eyes refused to make eye contact with Komaeda's light gray-green ones.

Komaeda gently put the book down and stepped towards Naegi. He embraced him in a tight hug and patted his head. "It's okay. It's okay."

Makoto bit his lower lip. _No it isn't. It isn't._

Komaeda caressed Naegi's cheek. "Look at me."

Naegi looked up with tearful eyes.

Komaeda wiped away his tears. "It's okay." He leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you, Makoto."

Naegi's face grew red. He smiled sadly and the shine seemed to have returned slightly to his now normally colored eyes. "I love you too, Nagito."

/BREAK/

It was dead silent in the middle of the night when Komaeda woke up.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard a quiet _thud_ come from Naegi's room. Worried that he had fallen off his bed while sleeping, he got up and headed next door to Naegi's room.

Yawing, he smiled affectionately and knocked on Naegi's door.

Light peeked out from the opening between the door and the ground. _Strange... I guess he wasn't asleep then. What fell?_ "Makoto... I see you're still up... you shouldn't overwork yourself and stay up too late," Komaeda called, "Makoto?"

 _Did he fall asleep while working? I don't think he's ever done that before... I guess I'll go in and wake him up. I'll help with his work if he isn't done yet._

He tried to turn the door handle, only to find that it would not budge at all. "He never keeps the door locked..." He pulled out a pair of spare keys he always kept in his pajama pants and quickly twisted it in the keyhole. This time, the doorknob turned more, but it would not turn fully. "Huh?"

He heard something being knocked over on the other side.

 _Hm..._ he lied down on the floor and peeked into Naegi's room. All he could see were the wooden floorboards; he couldn't see anything that could possibly be blocking the doorknob from turning. Maybe his forceful doorknob turning had knocked over the object?

He turned the doorknob once more. Incredibly, it moved smoothly and Komaeda was able to enter Naegi's room with no problem. "Mako-"

Komaeda's eyes widened. Sweat started to roll down his incredibly pale skin and his breathing grew rapid.

In front of him was Naegi, hanging from the ceiling with a rope with a peaceful smile on his face.

Rather than screaming and collapsing on the floor, Komaeda decided to do what he did best.

Investigate.

The first thing he did was grab onto Naegi's wrist with a lot of force. If there was a pulse, there was still hope. Even if there wasn't there was still hope. For Naegi and him, with their lucks combined, there was always a chance.

 _One..._

 _two..._

 _ba-dump._

Komaeda released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He looked around the room in search of something sharp. Out of the corner of his eye, he say a glint of silver.

He stomped towards a pair of glistening scissors that lay on top of Naegi's desk. A neat pile of finished paperwork was next to it, along with one lonely envelope that was addressed to Komaeda and the Future Foundation.

His eyes hovered over the envelope, hand reaching for it. _Now is not the time_ _._ He grabbed the scissors and got to work. Luckily, the rope seemed to be made of pretty weak material, so, although it was thick, it could be cut through with ease.

Komaeda tossed the scissors away and dashed under Naegi to ensure that he'd be able to safely catch him. He saved him just in time; Naegi's pulse had been fading and his body was growing colder.

It had been a long time since Komaeda cried of happiness, or even just cried. He was so relieved. Naegi's neck was now purple and blue, bruised from the force of what little weight he had against the rope. Komaeda carried him to the infirmary and watched over him during the night, but not before grabbing the letter that Naegi had written, which he assumed to be a will of sorts.

Komaeda sat down next to Naegi and opened the note.

" _Dear Komaeda,_

 _If you're reading this, I must be dead right now. You must be hurting inside, and I'm sorry._

 _For the Ultimate Hope to kill himself... it's ironic, isn't it? The embodiment of hope and happiness._

 _But ever since that Monokuma's Gloomy Sunday, I can't get it out of my head. Call it whatever you'd like, survivor's guilt or whatever, but I really cannot get it out of my head._

 _Maizono-san... I promised her I'd get her out of there. I failed her. All of them... if only we'd worked together to try to get out, would we have been able to all get out alive? I can't help but wonder. All of them were more talented than me... they could have been more important to the Future Foundation. Why was I the one to live? I'm just a slightly happier than average person._

 _Nagito, I'm not saying that my luck is like yours at all. But... just seeing everyone around me die one by one as I avoid death by a millimeter with my incredibly bad luck... I can't stand it. You must be strong, to have been able to withstand it. I can't stand the thought that one day, even you, with your incredible luck, will be killed by my bad luck while I live because of it._

 _Nagito, you are very talented. Please don't be self-depreciating. You're an amazing person. Please never forget that. To me, you are my hope. And I'm sure that you can get the world back on its feet again without me._

 _I entrust the hope of the world to you. You are my most precious person. I love you, and I'm sorry._

 _And to the Future Foundation, Hopes Peak, and this recovering world, never lose hope. No matter what happens, you must always stay hopeful._

 _Thank you for the memories._

 _Signed,_

 _Naegi Makoto."_

Tears rolled down from Komaeda's glistening orbs. "Haa... crying twice in one night when I've barely cried over the past six years..." The droplets poured down and bounced onto Naegi's face. "I should've noticed sooner..." His eyes started to flicker dangerously from his normal color to an absurd swirl of white and black. "I'm trash... why didn't I notice sooner? Why didn't I do anything?"

 _Please don't be self-depreciating._

His eyes stabilized. "He'd be angry if I said that... and everything else that happened would be for naught if I became how I was like before." He wiped his tears and smiled. He brushed aside Naegi's bangs and kissed his forehead.

He whispered, "I love you, Makoto."

And they fell asleep side by side.

/BREAK/

Naegi's long eyelashes fluttered. He immediately reached towards his neck, wincing when he touched a bruise. He turned onto his side and saw a white poof of hair.

He croaked, "Na..gito?"

Komaeda shot upwards, eyes wide open and swollen. "Makoto!" He ran out into the hallway and yelled, "HE'S AWAKE!" He ran back to Naegi's side. He panted, "Don't talk. Your throat is injured. ...but if you really want to, you should speak. My opinion shouldn't stop you."

Naegi parted his lips to speak but decided that a simple smile would suffice. He reached upwards and caressed Komaeda's face. He mouthed, _I love you._

Komaeda grabbed him and held him in a tight embrace. "You should've told me what you were going through... I would've helped the best I could. I... if you died, Makoto... I'd probably follow after your footsteps."

His eyes widened in horror over what would have happened had he been successful. He mentally berated himself. Here was Komaeda, trying his best despite all that life threw at him. And here _he_ was, running away from the burden he shouldered- the memories of his friends that he would never forget.

Was he going to disrespect the will of his former classmates and do away with his own life?

The fire was rekindled in Naegi's eyes. "Thank you, Nagito." He buried his face into his nape.

"You saved me before. This time, it was my turn to save you." Komaeda got up. "As much as I want to stay longer, there's a lot of paperwork that I have to finish. So..." He leaned in and pecked Naegi on his lips. "I'll come visit later."

"B-bye, Nagito," he spoke quietly so it wouldn't hurt his recovering throat.

Komaeda shut the door gently as he left the room.

Naegi gingerly lowered his head down onto his pillow. The memory foam conformed to his throbbing neck. He pulled his blanket up to his chin.

 _Everyone else is working so hard. I can't run away like this. No matter how guilty or anxious I feel... suicide should never have been an option to even consider._

 _No matter how hard it gets for me, I still have them by my side._

"Naegi/Naegi-kun/Naegicchi!"

The four burst through the door in a frenzy, tripping over themselves and landing in a heap on the floor.

"Hi, everyone." He whispered.

Togami stood up and brushed off his pant leg. "Why the hell would you do something so stupid?"

"We're always here for you!"

"If it helps you any, I'll read your fortune for you... if it'll cheer you up..."

"What would Hopes Peak do without its principal?"

Naegi broke into a laugh. "I'm sorry for the scare. It won't happen ever again."

"It better not!" Asahina reprimanded him. "If the Ultimate Hope were to kill himself because he fell to despair, what do you think would happen to the rest of us?"

Naegi looked away.

"Answer us. Tell us, Naegi," Togami ordered.

"I... suppose despair would spread?" He scratched his cheek. "But my death alone shouldn't be enough to-"

"Enough." Kirigiri slammed her hand down on the bedside table. "Your death alone wouldn't immediately revert the world to how it was after the Tragedy, but it would plant seedlings of despair in the world that would be on standby, waiting for the perfect moment to effloresce. Don't think so little of yourself. Who are you, Komaeda?"

"I-"

"Naegicchi, if you died, it'd be like when aliens stole my hamburger all over again!"

"You'd feel that little grief?!"

"Imagine someone stole your donuts, Asahinacchi."

"NOOOOOOO!" She sank to the ground. "Not my donuts..."

The door was thrown open once again. "You're being too l-loud and disturbing the patient! P-p-please leave! Naegi-san needs to sleep!" Mikan whimpered. After a moment's silence, she cried, "I'm sorrrry!"

"See you, Naegi." The noisy bunch immediately obeyed and dispersed to do whatever work they had to complete by the end of that day.

"Hello, Mikan-san." Naegi smiled.

"H-hieeee! Someone said hello to me first..." She wiped away the fluids that were flooding her face. Her expression turned sharp. "Do you feel any pain? Does it hurt when you talk?"

"My neck throbs where the rope was in contact with it, and it doesn't hurt when I talk anymore. It did when I first woke up, though."

Mikan dutifully took down notes in a notepad. "I see... okay, I'll be back with something." As she headed out the door, she turned around and called, "Naegi-san?"

"Yes?"

"Never forget that there are people all around you who look up to you and genuinely care for you, that there are people who you can talk to..." Her eyes grew distant. "I wish that was something I learned earlier." She exited the room.

Naegi's eyes settled on the ceiling, noticing a strange crisscrossing pattern he never saw before.

 _I was so blind. I didn't think that anyone would be hurt that much but... I was so wrong._

 _From now on, no matter how great the despair, I will charge onwards into the future. I will spread my saplings of hope over the world and make sure such an atrocious event never happens again._

"True hope is born when you overcome despair... that's what Nagito said in the simulation, isn't it? In that case...

I will never give into despair again. Until the day I die, I will stay hopeful." He clenched his fist. "I swear it."

/

 **That actually took me quite a while to write.**

 **Like I mentioned before, as a result of school starting, I won't be able to write as much.**

 **The Danganronpa 3 anime ended too, huh... what'd you think of the ending?**

 **As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.**

 **Until next time!**


	9. 8 (remembering)

**This is just Komaeda and Naegi meeting right before Komaeda enters the NWP.** **I haven't played or watched a playthrough of DR:AE so there could be continuity errors. Sorry. As always, thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy! Constructive criticism is always appreciated!**

"Komaeda Nagito." Naegi flicked his wrist, marking his name off the checklist.

"That's me!" Komaeda beamed. It had been what seemed like forever since he saw his adorable kouhai. "It's so nice seeing you again..."

Naegi looked at him quizzically. He felt his heart leap when they locked eyes. "Pardon my rudeness, but I don't believe we've met before."

"Huh?"

The two were in a spacious room. Naegi and Komaeda sat across each other at a stainless steel desk. The surprise on Komaeda's face was clearly reflected onto the shining surface of the table.

"Um... in any case, I have a couple of questions I have to ask you before I can put you into the Neo World Program."

"I suppose I'll have to comply."

"Why did you become a Remnant of Despair?"

Komaeda laughed. "That's easy. Hope would win in the end, so it wouldn't matter if I joined. I'd get to watch the rise and fall of hope, and trash like me would get to serve as a stepping stone for hope!"

Instinctively, Naegi said, "Don't call yourself trash." _Why did I...?_

"Even if you don't remember me, I guess you're still the same as ever!"

"..." He took a deep breath. "Why did you aid Monaca?"

"Hm..." He touched his hand to his lower lip. "If I couldn't make that normal girl- oh sorry, your sister- Naegi Komaru into the new Ultimate Despair, I would need to have a backup plan of sorts! So naturally, I made sure Monaca would stay alive. I'm sure she'll mature into a fine Despair who can aid the growth of hope..."

"In what ways did you assist the Warriors of Hope?"

"Oh, you know. I was their Servant. I did servant things."

"Okay. That's all." He smiled, hiding his uncertainty. _This is my first time talking to him... why do I feel like it isn't? Did I know him during my two years at Hopes Peak? Is he part of the memories that I still haven't recovered?_

"'That's all...' is what you say, but the truth is that there's more you want to ask me, correct?"

"Wh-what?"

"Judging from your reaction, I was right. What a lucky guess!" He stood up and leaned over the table, face next to Naegi's ear. "Hey... don't you want to know? Aren't you curious about our relationship?"

Naegi gulped and remained silent.

"Haah... that's too bad. I would've told you _everything_ if you questioned me; it's you who's asking, after all. What a shame..." He returned to his seat. "Am I dismissed?"

"Yes, you are." Naegi replied uncharacteristically harshly.

Komaeda blinked in surprise. _Such a harsh tone... he never spoke to me like this before..._ "In that case... see you!" He smiled and pushed his chair in. Before heading out the door, he paused for a moment. "Naegi... when you remember how you're connected to a trashy Remant like me, you're sure to feel despair to some degree... but I believe that your hope will overcome it." He smirked. "There's no way your hope would lose, after all."

The door shut with a loud _bang_ , leaving Naegi behind in complete silence.

/

Naegi stared at the ceiling. _Komaeda Nagito... a Remant of Despair, Super Highschool Level luck, seems to be intelligent..._ He sighed. No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't think of a way they'd be close enough for Komaeda to able to read through him so easily. _But maybe that was just because I wear my emotions on my sleeve._

 _I can't sleep anyway, so I might as well read some books in the library._

/

Naegi scoured the place for an interesting novel. As he reached for a book that was tad too high for him to get alone, a strong feeling of déjà vu overcame him. "That's weird... whatever, this happens to me all the time anyway. I wish I was taller..." He opted for a book on a lower shelf and walked to Jabberwock Park.

The stars twinkled above him in the clear, night sky. The sound of the ocean waves gave him a sense of tranquility. "It's lonely being the only one here..."

He sat down on a nearby bench, only to stand right up again. The seat was soaking wet, drenching Naegi's bottom. "It hasn't even rained recently," Naegi grumbled.

Holding the book by the spine, he inspected that bench and the other ones in the vicinity. "This one is the only one that's wet. Just my luck, huh..."

Something slipped out from the pages of the book.

Naegi immediately snatched it. "There shouldn't be anything in these books. We were the first people here, and I don't remember allowing anyone access to the library. But if they went on their own..."

The flash drive glistened in his palm. Wondering how the hell he didn't notice a flash drive being hidden in the book, he opened it to see that parts of the pages were crudely cut out. He recoiled in horror.

"In any case... I should probably see what's in here."

/

Naegi inserted the flash drive into the USB port. _There's no way this is just full of viruses to hack into our databases, right...?_ A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. _There's only one way to find out._

"Alter Ego, could you scan this for viruses? You know I'm not the most technologically advanced person, and I don't want to mess anything up."

A small window popped up in the bottom corner of Naegi's laptop. "Sure! Wait just a moment."

Two seconds passed.

"Okay! Done. There aren't any harmful files. Happy browsing! Now then, I'll go back to the program..." He disappeared with a smile.

Naegi double clicked the folder. There was only one file inside.

"The Truth Behind Naegi and Komaeda- A Virtual Novel... _what?!_ " Something inside of him told him not to click it. But for whatever reason, he couldn't stop his finger from tapping the left mouse button twice.

The journey began in the library of Hope's Peak. Komaeda grabbed a book for Naegi that he was having trouble reaching, and they grew closer from that point onwards.

 _So that's where my feeling of déjà vu came from. But how much truth is in this?_

He played through to the very end. There were so many things that he was not expecting. Going to the movies, going to cafes, going to parks together... in other words, dates with just the two of them.

There were a few possibilities he had reached about their relationship, and this was not one of them.

A message popped up on the screen. " _Oh! And since you probably aren't sure if you should believe the info in this video game or not... you should know that this was personally programmed and drawn by me, Komaeda Nagito! I'm sure that you didn't enjoy playing it that much, since it was made by_ me, _but trash like me would never lie to someone like you! And I've enclosed some photos as a reward for clearing the game._

 _I'm sure you'll remember after this. It's you, after all."_

He gulped. His clammy palms gripped the mouse tightly. There was no going back.

In front of him was the undeniable truth that the game was not lying. Images upon images of images of the two hanging out together were lined up in an extremely large number of rows and columns. With each photograph, he felt something click in his mind, and the pieces of missing memory came back together like the pieces of a puzzle.

"He was my... boyfriend." He stared at the screen blankly. "I was dating Komaeda Nagito. Huh."

A tear slipped out of the corner of his eye. He buried his face in his palms and chuckled. "It's all coming back to me... how could I forget? If only I stayed in contact with you after you suddenly changed, I... maybe you wouldn't have..."

He wiped his tears with his pajama sleeve. "No. This is Junko's fault. If he never met her, he, and the rest of them for that matter, wouldn't have changed." He stood from his chair and changed into a dry pair of pants. "I should rest... I'll have to continuously monitor the game starting from tomorrow. Togami-kun and Kirigiri-san will be coming soon... I'll have to talk to them about this."

"There's no use moping. I should look to the future and believe in them."

Distraught but determined, he fell asleep with his head on a damp pillow.

/

 **EXTRA**

Naegi was deep in thought as he tried his best to fall asleep.

 _Now that I think about it, Komaeda was never the best artist... is that why the drawings were so simple? He could've tried to at least draw actual people instead of stick figures with clothes on them..._ He cracked a smile. _Some things never change._


	10. 9 (Stalkermaeda)

**This one doesn't connect with any of the other chapters; it isn't a part of the "main storyline," as I like to call it (aka the ones that seem to actually seem to connect to each other). Inspired by a youtube video (Komahina- An Unhealthy Obsession). Prompt: Komaeda Nagito is obsessed with Naegi Makoto.**

Naegi walked with Togami towards their dorm rooms after a tiring day at Hopes Peak. The brisk autumn wind blew and brown leaves scraped the brick path. But the breeze wasn't what was giving Naegi the chills.

"Hey, Togami-kun." He glanced around anxiously.

"Don't talk to me in such a friendly manner."

"Is it just me or do you feel like someone is following us?"

"...now that you mention it..." Togami stood in his tracks and whirled around. "There's someone there, isn't there? Come out right this instant!" They were met by silence.

Naegi turned around and laughed nervously. "I guess no one was there, then. No one would be able to go against you yelling at them."

He humphed. "Of course. I'm Togami Byakuya."

The two boys continued their journey. Unbeknownst to them, there was, indeed, a tall stranger gazing at them from afar, from behind a tree.

Komaeda felt his knees wobble. He slid to the ground with his back against the tree. His heart was pounding against his ribcage, struggling to break free.

 _His face... his beautiful face... so much hope..._ Slobber dribbled down his chin. He clawed at his face, pulling down the skin surrounding his eyes. _How can a person be so beautiful and hopeful?_

He wiped the drool off of his face and stood up. "Hmm... although I'd really like to watch him more, it'd be bad if I didn't finish my homework, so..." He sighed. "It's off to my dorm room I go~"

/

Komaeda stood one step behind the shorter boy. His brown head was directly below him. Luckily, the sun was facing towards them, so their shadows went behind.

His gait matched Naegi's, making sure to make no movements that would create suspicious noise. He breathed in deeply (but quietly), inhaling Naegi's scent. The subtle but intoxicating vanilla fragrance almost made him salivate. _If you start drooling now, you'll get it on his shiny brown mane... control yourself, you dirty trash,_ he berated himself.

Maybe it was by the force of his sheer luck, or just because of how determined he was to follow Naegi around, but no one interrupted him, and nobody saw him either. He wasn't so close-minded that'd he'd deny that his actions might be seen as creepy. But what did it matter what others thought? This was his way of showing his love for Naegi, and no one could stop him.

/

Komaeda saw Naegi from across the courtyard. Cupping his hands to his mouth, he yelled, "Hey! You! Naegi Makoto!"

Naegi whirled around in surprise.

"Could you come here for a second? I have something to ask you!"

He trotted over. "What's up? How do you know my name? And what's yours?"

 _So adorable..._ "Ah, there was just something I wanted to ask you. I know every student's name... I'm a bit of a fanboy, you see." He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know what you'd do with the name of trash like me, but... I'm Komaeda Nagito."

"Nice to meet you." Naegi smiled and held out his hand. Komaeda grabbed it quickly at an almost frightening speed. When the older boy held on for a tad bit too long, Naegi tried to tug his hand out, but Komaeda's vice-like grip kept him from doing so. "Uh..."

Komaeda shook his head. "Oh! I'm sorry. I got lost in thought."

 _In the middle of a handshake?_ "What was it that you wanted to ask me?"

Komaeda blinked. "Huh? I seem to have forgotten... I'm sorry for making you waste time on trash like me."

"No, not at al-"

"If you don't mind, could you give me your number in case I remember? I feel like I was going to ask something really important... haah... I can't believe I would forget something important." He sighed. "Of course, if you aren't willing to, it's fine. I'm trash after-"

"I'll give you my number, so please stop calling yourself trash. No one should ever call themself that!" Naegi pulled out a notepad and ripped a page out. He scribbled his number on the lines. "Make sure to message me if you remember. Seeing you this distraught, I'm sure it was important." He flashed a grin. "Then... goodbye!" And just like that, he turned and walked away.

Komaeda clutched the note with excitement. He would have to create an important question for Naegi later- he didn't want the younger boy to think he was just lying to him to get his number, although that _was_ the full truth.

 _With this, I can do so many things...!_ He broke out into a fast paced walk and his eyes twinkled with anticipation. _I can try to bug his phone, look for all accounts connected to it... I can learn more about Naegi-kun! And I can talk to him more, of course._ His grin widened. _I can't wait_

/

Naegi anxiously checked outside his dorm room's window. He could've sworn that he heard a noise outside, but nothing was there. "I'm just being paranoid..." He ignored the feeling in his gut and returned to his studying, putting on headphones and drowning himself in music. His head slightly bobbed along to the beat.

Komaeda sat in the tree outside Naegi's window with his jacket's hood pulled very deeply over his head, covering his hair and reaching just above his eyes. _Hm... no good. I have to be quieter the next time I try to move to snap a picture. Maybe I should ask Koizumi-san for tips..._

He crept closer to the window, inching along the branch. By that point, it should not have been able to keep him up, but it remained strong.

"Hm? Is he listening to music? Oh, he's bobbing his head to the beat!" He giggled. He pulled out his phone and switched to camera mode. Making sure the picture was well focused, he zoomed in on Naegi and pressed the button.

The flash went off.

Naegi wasn't sure, but he swore that he saw something flash out of the corner of his eye. The force of him standing up from his chair unplugged his headphones from the computer. He stomped over to the window. He saw a dark figure leap off the branch and fall onto a lower one, nimbly swinging themself down to ground level and sprinting away. He threw his windows open. "Hey, you! Stop!" The figure paused for a moment but resumed his escape. "Hey, you!"

His heart threatened to burst out from his rib cage. The warmth within his room seemed to be gone despite the temperature being the same outside, and his previously energizing music seemed to have an ominous feeling to it.

He heard a knock on the door.

"W-who is it?"

"It's me, Togami. Why the hell are you screaming this late at night?"

Naegi ran towards the door and quickly opened it. "There was a guy outside my window," he said in one breath.

Togami leaned out from the window and searched the tree. "Hand me a flashlight."

Naegi did as he was told. Togami pointed the light at the tree standing right outside his window. "I'm gonna jump."

"What? No!"

Togami leapt from the windowsill to the nearest branch, jumping far enough to land on the thickest part. "I'm Togami Byakuya. Don't underestimate me." He scoffed.

"How are you going to get back?"

He froze. "I'll jump back over. I trust that you'll catch me in one way or another. Also..." He pointed at a piece of cloth pierced by a thin branch. "Look."

"Is that... cloth?"

"Clearly." He carefully extracted it and tucked it into his pocket. "Okay. I'm jumping."

"Wha- hold on!" Naegi ran towards the window with outstretched hands and slightly bent his knees. Togami stetched his arms towards Naegi and, grabbing onto his wrists, the smaller boy used his momentum to pull him in. Naegi toppled over, and Togami was sent flying across the room.

"Ugh." Togami stood back up. "Is that the best you could've caught me?"

"That was reckless! You should've just climbed down."

Togami sighed. _Of course he's more worried about my well-being than his..._ "Well, here's that cloth."

The cloth was a dark green. One corner had a bright red tint. White strands of hair were stuck on it.

"Look familiar?"

Naegi's heart dropped. "Yeah." _It has to be that senpai who randomly called me out... but why?_

"Naegi. Naegi? Naegi."

"...NAEGI."

Naegi jumped. "Huh?"

"Tch. As I suspected, you weren't listening. Peasant."

Naegi scratched his head. "Sorry."

"Are you going to get a restraining order for whoever this person is? Stalking is no joke."

Naegi thought for a moment. "No."

"What? _Why?_ " Togami grabbed Naegi and shook him by the shoulders. "Are you an idiot?"

"Maybe he has a good reason for doing it. It's not like this doesn't creep me out." He shuddered, "Being watched often... that's scary. But maybe it was just this time? Maybe he'll stop if I ask him to."

Togami eyed him. "You're too naive for your own good." He turned around and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Naegi collapsed into his chair. "Maybe I should just study more tomorrow." He got up from his chair and grabbed his pajamas. "Yeah. I'll study tomorrow."

/

The white blob of hair was easy to spot from miles away. "U-um! Komaeda Nagito-senpai!" Naegi yelled.

Nearby students stared at him with wide eyes and snickered. A stout boy in a chef apron approached him and said, "Are you sure you want to talk him, monsieur? He's quite the fanboy, you know, to the point of being creepy. Instead of talking to him, how about..." he leaned in and whispered into his ear, "...you and me go off and have a little bit of fun in my dorm room?"

"Wh-what?" Naegi stumbled backwards. "No thanks."

"Aw, c'mon." He took a step towards Naegi. "I'm sure you wa-"

A hand grabbed him by the collar and pulled him aside. "Teruteru-kun, as much as I respect you as an Ultimate, didn't I already tell you that this kind of behavior wouldn't fly?"

"I was so close. Why'd you have to ruin my fun, Komaeda-kun?"

"Teruteru-kun, I have some business with Naegi. If you would be so kind as to give us some privacy..."

"Ooh, privacy? What will you two be doing?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe you'll go off into a secluded stairwell, and then... stick your..."

"TERUTERU-KUN."

"Okay, okay, no need to make your voice so scary." He winked at Naegi. "See you 'round, little boy."

The two watched him walk away. Komaeda was the first to talk, saying, "So, why'd you call me over?"

"Oh, I was just wondering something..."

Komaeda grinned widely. "Oh, you're going to ask _me_ something? I'm honored! No one really cares much about my opinion or what I think. The only thing I'm ever asked is to go away, which is understandable. Ah... sorry, I rambled. What do you want me to tell you?"

"Um... by any chance, were you outside my window last night?"

Without the slightest pause, he nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Naegi's eyebrows furrowed. "I'd like to ask you the same thing."

Komaeda's pupils dilated to an unnatural degree and the corners of his lips curled up too far to be considered normal. "Why? Well, you see..." His face returned to normal. "It was because of _your hope_."

"My... hope?"

"Yes! I saw you... you picked up a baby bird that injured its wing and nursed it back to health. I coincidentally ran into you at the pet store too, asking questions about and requesting tips on taking care of the bird! Putting so much effort into helping that creature even though you wouldn't get anything out of it... that's amazing, don't you think?"

Naegi asked with a voice full of incredulity, "Coincidentally?"

"I am the Ultimate Lucky Student, after all. Although I can't really control it..." He sighed. "My luck has karmic cycles of extreme good and extreme bad. It gets hard to deal with sometimes. You're a lucky student too, right, Naegi-kun?"

 _How come I never saw his name on the Hope's Peak online forums?_ "...yes. But I'm sure you were following me around for a better reason than liking my hope, right?"

"Huh? No. What better reason would I have? I'm sure you've figured it out already. You never give something up until you're certain you've reached the right conclusion."

"You were just stalking me?" Naegi asked in disbelief.

"That's right!" Komaeda laughed. "I knew you'd figure it out. I was just stalking you... hm, that word isn't very nice. How about... 'making sure you're safe' or 'walking extremely close behind'? That's right, little ol' me was following you around. But I'm sure you don't mind, right?" He cocked his head.

"In what world would someone not mind being stalked?" Naegi could feel beads of sweat rolling down his face. _As much as I'd like to trust him, I can tell he's dangerous._

"Hm? You mind it? Ah, I'm terribly sorry..." Komaeda clicked his tongue, hiding his slight annoyance. _Why does it bother him? Because it's trash like me? I'm sure he's just doing it with me in mind... maybe he's worried that I'm exhausting myself watching him all day!_ "In that case, I'll just make sure you never notice me. And I don't get tired when I'm watching you, the very sight of you gives me energy." He turned around. "Well, bye then!"

"Wait! That's not what I'm saying! Stop stalking me, please! It's creepy! Other than the thing with the window, do you think I didn't notice you walking a centimeter behind me? The first time I wasn't sure, but it was pretty obvious by the third!" He was yelling by this point. "I wanted to believe that you didn't have any bad intent because it's wrong to distrust someone when you aren't certain, but... don't you think this is too much? Please stop!"

Unfortunately for Naegi, anyone that could've been there to back him up before was now gone. The clearing was empty, save the two of them. The fountain's water splashed onto them in unnoticeable amounts.

Although no physical contact was made, Komaeda's facial expression was as if he had been slapped. Then, it happened. His skin turned an even paler shade of white. Sweat poured off of him in buckets. His eyes became a swirl of twisted obsession and the lines on his face deepened. "Creepy? You think that affects me, Naegi-kun? I don't care what slander you throw at me! I'll follow you and your hope to the ends of the earth! And, you tried to believe in me?! Even more of a reason to be interested in your hope! No one's given me a second glance at Hope's Peak!" He laughed maniacally. "You think you're pushing me away, Naegi-kun." He leaned in, locking eyes with Naegi. "No, you're only bringing me closer. What kind of despair will you overcome? How strong will your hope grow?! I can't wait to see it!"

"Please... just stop." Naegi backed away, only to have Komaeda inch closer. "I wouldn't mind being friends with you, but the stalking has to stop. But I believe that you can change!" Although he was afraid, his eyes were steady and full of determination. "I'm sure of it."

A crimson blush overcame Komaeda's warped expression and drool slipped out from his mouth. "Haaa... your hope is shining so brightly...! You believe in trash like me... it's almost unbelievable! HHHHKKKAAAAAHAHAAAAHA!"

"K-Komaeda-senpai! Calm down! I don't know why seeing me tend to a bird made you so obsessed with me, but let's talk it out!"

His expression became blank, a stark contrast to his previous appearance. "You really believe in me, huh. But you shouldn't even talk to trash like me. In fact, I'll have to stop talking to you now, so I don't taint you with my very presence."

"No, we should definitely talk."

"... but since you insist, I'll stay for awhile. It's an honor to be with you, after all."

Naegi sat down on a nearby bench and patted the seat next to him. "Come sit, senpai."

"Always with the respectful language, even to trash. You could call me 'Komaeda-chan' if you really wanted to, and I wouldn't say anything. I don't think that'd suit me very well, though."

"There's no need to address you so informally or weirdly. So what can I do to keep you from stalking me? What can I do for us to just be friends? You seem like a pretty cool guy when you aren't... following me around. In fact, I'm grateful that you helped me with Teruteru-senpai earlier. Thanks."

Komaeda pondered over his options. _Either stop stalking him and have him like me more while simultaneously being unable to gaze at my hope as much as I want to, or continue stalking him and have him hate me. We wouldn't be friends, either. Or, I could..._ "If you really want me to, I can just stop. I know my place. I don't have the right to disturb you. Even talking to you is like being given a special privilege for a day."

"Don't say that. You need to have more confidence in yourself. Being able to figure out all my routes and where I live with me not finding out for a while... you must be very intelligent and observant."

"I just got lucky."

"Then... would you like to start over?"

"Sure!"

They stood up. Naegi held out his hand. "Hello. I'm Naegi Makoto, just your normal everyday highschool boy, admitted into Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Lucky Student."

"I'm Komaeda Nagito, also the Ultimate Lucky Student." He took his hand with a firm grip and the two exchanged a handshake for the second time.

"Let's get along from now on, senpai." Naegi smiled. It was clear that he had completely forgiven Komaeda of everything he had done.

"Sure. I'm sorry for bothering you. We should probably go our own ways now. The sun is setting."

"Oh! You're right. I didn't notice." Naegi ran in the direction of his dorm room, waving as he went. "Bye!"

Komaeda sat on the edge of the fountain. The water splashing at his back was more noticeable now, and he could feel his jacket growing damp, and his shirt by extension. He took it off in one swift motion and tied it around his waist, hiding the conspicuous hole smack dab in the middle of his jacket. "Now then... shall I get going?" His lips curled coyly as he took a step away from the direction his dorm room was in and a step towards the direction Naegi had taken.

/

 _Either stop stalking him and have him like me more while simultaneously being unable to gaze at my hope as much as I want to, or continue stalking him and have him hate me. We wouldn't be friends, either. Or, I could..._

 _I could just pretend I stopped but continue what I'm doing. I won't act creepy around him. I'll try to humor him and this time, I'll be more careful. I'll only do it when I'm sure I won't be caught. I'll trust in my talent._

 _If this doesn't work out, my luck truly is worthless._

 _"_ If you really want me to... _"_

/

/

/

But unaware to the two boys, there was yet another bystander hidden nearby, behind a tree. Her blonde pigtails flowed beautifully in the wind, like sand dunes in a barren desert.

"Upupupupu..."


	11. 10 (unlucky)

_**This chapter does not follow the canon storyline.**_

 **Sorry that my updates are getting slower. School only gets more and more hectic. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Prompt: Naegi follows Komaeda into Junko's secret base.**

 **(by the way: if you want something in particular to be written with these two, don't be afraid to PM me!)**

 **Thanks nekoshy13 for your review! I really liked that video when I first watched it and I realized that it could probably work with Naegi and Komaeda as well :)**

Komaeda inspected the statue carefully. His sharp eyes scoured the stone structure, looking for any slight indents. As he knelt down to check the floor, he stumbled due to the downpour of rain. He felt his foot sink slightly into the ground and his hand press something that he missed before.

"How lucky. I didn't even have to think for this, huh..."

A screeching roar filled the area. The rock around the front of the statue rolled away, revealing a deep staircase that led into unspeakable darkness.

Komaeda stared at it distastefully. "This is too easy." Then, without another moment's pause, he disappeared down the pathway.

/

Naegi's shoes pounded the floor as he sprinted in the rain, searching for Komaeda. His rapid breathing was only drowned out by the ongoing storm.

 _Just my luck. I forget to return his book to him, then it starts raining, and my umbrella breaks. Why am I the Ultimate Lucky Student, anyway?_

In the far distance, he saw what looked like a brown stick with white leaves. _That must be him. What's he doing by that statue?_

Naegi stepped on an especially slippery patch of brick and flew forwards. "Gah!" Spitting out dirty water, he got to his feet and continued towards the statue. Yet, when he looked, Komaeda was no longer there. The statue had an eerie feeling to it, like a gargoyle sitting atop a castle spire. Its blank eyes seemed to stare into Naegi, seeing through him. He shuddered.

Glancing around, there was only one logical conclusion. Komaeda had gone down the set of stairs that lead into some sort of underground complex. He stepped down quickly, mind only full of apologies for getting Komaeda's beloved book wet.

/

Komaeda's double zippered shoes slightly squeaked against the futuristic looking floor. He frowned. _Although I'm trash, it's a bit sad that no one accompanied me in our search for Mikan-san... and I'm the one who sighted her, too. Whatever, what can I do. I'm worthless compared to them, anyway._

 _It's good that I'm alone, actually. In any case, I'll be fine with my luck._

Komaeda stopped at the entrance of a hallway. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called, "Heelllloooooooooooooo?" He was greeted by silence.

Sighing, he scanned the doors. "Who would respond to that... well, I should be able to find the right door with just my luck." He walked up to a random door and quietly opened it. His eyes lit up when he peeked inside. _Bingo._

He kicked the door open and stepped inside. "Hello! Sorry for the intrusion!" He grinned.

Light blue eyes pierced him with annoyance. "Who are you and why are you here?"

"My name is Komaeda Nagito. I'm just here to visit Mikan-san and the real Mitarai-kun."

Junko narrowed her eyes. "The Ultimate Luck, huh. You're completely different from the one in my year. And I'm sorry to say that I set those two free already."

"That's just fine, but comparing him with me isn't. You shouldn't taint his name like that."

"So how did you find this place? It's supposed to be top secret, y'know. How easily this was found is making me despair."

He grimaced when he heard despair. "I was just lucky."

Junko's eyes sparkled. "Wow~ Komaeda-senpai, you're amazing! Finding this place just by chance..." The air around her grew dank and mushrooms seemed to sprout out of her head. She twirled her hair. "That's just so... depressing..." Her cheeks flushed and she threw her head back in laughter. "I love it! This despair!"

"Disgusting."

"I've analyzed you already. You're the opposite of me, aren't you?"

"I don't even want to be compared to someone who idolizes despair like you do."

"Ouch. You consider yourself the lowest of the lowest. If I'm below you, what am I? Pig shit?" She salivated at the thought.

Komaeda stared at her silently. Unwilling to reply, he instead reached inside his blazer and whipped out...

...a gun.

/

Water droplets rolled down from Naegi's drenched and shivering body. He rubbed his arms as he slowly plodded down the hallway, leaving puddles in his wake.

It was his second year attending Hope's Peak, and he had no idea that such an expansive complex existed beneath it. As he rounded the corner, he saw light peeking out from an open door and heard small voices coming from it. _Maybe Komaeda-senpai is there._ Ignoring the wrenching feeling in his gut, he continued onward.

/

His red eyes stared at the slippery floor. Maybe now that someone had come in uninvited, his boredom would be alleviated. Almost excited, he floated across the ground with a sparkle in his eyes.

/

"What? You think you can stop this despair?" She guffawed.

"Who said I was trying to stop it?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"This is just a test. If you manage to live, then your despair truly is great enough to aid in the creation of the greatest, brightest hope." He pointed the barrel at her forehead. He placed his finger on the trigger. Then, just as he was about to fire-

"Komaeda-senpai, are you in here?" Naegi stepped into the room. There were ceiling high bookcases full of what seemed to be manga and anime CDs. Large monitor screens were stationed in the back of the room, parallel with where Naegi stood. "There you are! Wait... what's going on? Junko-san?"

Komaeda sighed and lowered his gun to his side. "Naegi-kun." He shifted slightly so he'd be able to look Naegi in the eyes without leaving his back completely open to Junko. "Why are you here?"

"I forgot to return your book to you, and since its your favorite book, I figured you'd want it back quickly..." His eyes flitted to the weapon. "What's going on?"

"Naegi is here, huh..." Junko stared at the two, deep in thought. "Upupupu... this is even better than what I originally planned."

Komaeda chortled. "You don't have to return the book. You can keep it if you want to. I have more copies at home." He turned back to Junko and this time, pushed the barrel into the front of her skull. He whispered, "If you so much as _touch_ Naegi-kun..."

"What happened to curating hope, loser?" She spat at him. "Go ahead and shoot. I dare you."

He narrowed his eyes. "Alright then." As his finger pulled on the trigger, he felt that something was horribly wrong. He whirled around.

"Mrrrrmph!" Naegi struggled against the strong hold of his assailant.

"Let him go."

His black hair fell over his face and the helpless boy. "...boring." He released his hold.

Naegi fell to the ground. Struggling to regain his breath, he continued to look at the scene taking place before him.

"Who are you?" Komaeda questioned, holding the gun to him.

"I am Izuru Kamukura. You... are Komaeda Nagito, yes?" He took a step forward.

Komaeda immediately pulled the trigger. Or, he tried to.

Izuru grabbed Komaeda by the waist and pulled him in. "You aren't the only one with luck." Grabbing the gun out of his hand, he turned and shot right at his heart.

Naegi screamed as the bullet penetrated Komaeda's chest. He leapt forward from his position on the ground and caught him, breaking his fall.

Komaeda reached his hand out to Izuru, grinning sheepishly and blushing. Then, he blacked out.

Noticing that there was no blood, Naegi immediately checked the area where his wound should have been. Luckily, the bullet had been blocked by Komaeda's Student ID book. "Thank god..."

His relief was broken by a female voice. "Naegi, now that you've seen this, I can't just let you go. I hope you know that." Junko's black heels clicked on the floor.

"What do you mean?"

Junko knelt down and flicked his chin upwards with her nail. "Well, you see... you've found my base of operations, and you've even seen my dear Kamukura-senpai! I'll have to silence you." She leaned in, inches away from his face. "Do you understand?"

The way that she wasn't blinking unnerved him. Finally realizing the situation he was in, he grabbed Komaeda's kimp body by the hand and attempted to back away. Izuru blocked his way.

"Go ahead and try to escape. You'll only be greeted with despair."

Naegi gently placed Komaeda against a wall. "I don't even know what's going on. I'm sure you can let me go."

"You think you can talk your way out of this? Whatever, I'll just tell you my plans since you won't be escaping anyway." She put on glasses and crossed her arms, tapping her lip with a pencil. "You see, this was my plan: to make the world fall into despair! Have you ever experienced it, Naegi-kun? The tantalizing feeling of despair? Once you feel it, you'll... just thinking about it... ah!" She moaned. "Down there, I..."

Naegi frowned. "Despair won't lead to anything good."

"That's what you think." She smirked. "Izuru, restrain him."

Without an ounce of effort, he grabbed the smaller boy and held him up by the arms.

"Junko-san, I'm sure this is just an elaborate joke. Please stop it, it's starting to scare me."

"You still choose to believe, despite the situation you're in?" She wrinkled her nose. "Absolutely unbelievable. But you know what? I promise that I won't kill you. You're an interesting fella."

"Hey, Kamukura-san, please put me down. If she isn't going to kill me, this was all just a prank, right? I'll be going back now with Komaeda-senpai."

Silence.

Then, laughter. Naegi had heard Komaeda's bouts of maniacal laughter before, but it was _nothing_ compared to Junko. Her blonde pigtails shook as a terrifying howl came out of her mouth, almost like the screams of a person possessed by a vengeful ghost. "What are you, _stupid_? Oh wait! You are!" She clutched her stomach as she rolled around in laughter. "Who reaches that kind of pansy-like conclusion?! I'm dying here!" She slapped her knee. "Since you need me to spell it out for you, I'll tell you. I'm going to make sure you fall into despair. Seeing that hope of yours shine so brightly... I want to crush it!" Pulling out a notebook, she wrote as she monologued, "Naegi Makoto. A fresh sapling of hope in Hope's Peak Highschool. Your average teenage boy, admitted to a school of elites through a mere _lottery._ Previously known for being extremely optimistic and believing in the good within everyone, he is now full of despair!" She shut her notebook. "How does that sound?"

Naegi's eyes flashed. "I'll never fall to despair!"

"Be quiet. I'll especially enjoy breaking _you_. Go ahead and knock him out, Kamukura-senpai."

A fist came crashing down onto Naegi's temple.

The world was black.

/

When Naegi regained consciousness, he found that he was unable to close his eyes. His hands and legs were cuffed to a metal chair. In front of him was a large screen, flashing red.

"Finally, awake, huh?" Junko sat in the back of the room with her legs crossed. "Looks like he predicted the time you'd wake up perfectly... ah, and as far Komaeda, I returned him to his class, so don't worry about him! I erased his memories of Kamukura-senpai, so you don't have a love rival to worry about either. Sit back and enjoy the show!"

 _3._

Naegi desperately looked around. He felt that if he didn't escape now, his peaceful life that he knew would be gone.

 _2._

"Junko, let me go!"

"Hm? Why should I do that?"

 _1._

"It'd be no fun to just leave you as you are now."

 _0._

The film opened up with a particularly disturbing scene. A girl, glasses flashing, ran another student through with a long spear that she held beside her. Blood splurted out of his chest, and the liquid came out with his saliva as he coughed violently. The blackened girl's fringe hung low on her face, covering the tears and pain that flowed out from her and leaving her with only the likeness of a demon.

"Mom... I... Mom...!"

The camera panned over to a girl in a yellow hoody and a burly man.

"I don't wanna die!"

"Don't worry. I'll protect you."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Really? Thank yo-"

He stabbed her stomach with a knife, cutting cleanly through. The knife tip stuck out at her back. The shine in her eyes faded and her head fell onto the desk in front of her with a _thump._

"Why are they killing each other?! Stop!" Naegi screamed. "Stop!"

The remaining students grabbed weapons and ran out of the classroom. A young couple moved as far from the rest of the group as they could. Smiling, they raised guns to each other's mouths.

"Together... okay?"

"Yes... we'll always be-"

A spear tip drove into him from behind. The girl screamed in terror as her now dead lover collapsed on top of her. Then, the sharp tip penetrated her, creating a deep gash in her smooth skin.

"Why... why me?! Why did she have to... ugh...!" Their assailant beat on the wooden shaft of the spear with a shovel, ramming it deeper into the girl. She joined her beloved soon after.

Naegi's pleas for help stopped. No matter how hard he tried to, he could not tear his eyes away from the screen. Something about it compelled him to watch. His eyes were too dry for any tears that would have fallen to form.

Thoughts swirled about in Naegi's head. _Why are they doing this? Why are they killing each other? I'm sure this isn't out of their own free will, I'm sure they were forced into it, I'm sure, I'm sure, I'm sure-_

"Ah, by the way, Naegi?"

"I didn't coerce them at all." The lie that passed her smiling lips was the final blow that was needed.

Something inside Naegi shattered. Seeing people brutally murder others for no reason... is this what humanity was really like? Mindless barbarians, only existing to cause pain unto others?

"You'll... never make me despair, Junko." He screamed, "I'll make sure to fill everyone with hope once I leave this place! Just you see! I'll end all fighting! I'll make sure that something like this never happens again!"

"Yeah, yeah." Junko stood up. "Shut up and I'll let you go. Don't release my plans though. Though if you did, the despair that I would feel would be pretty great." She walked over and undid his bindings. She removed the metal rings from his eyes.

"Junko... I'll make sure you get rid of your despairing ways, too."

"Yadda yadda. Get a move on. Didn't you just state some pretty great plans?"

"I believe in humanity. I'm sure that even if they weren't forced... there must have been a good reason...!" He clenched his fist as he got up from the chair. He closed his eyes to rest them.

"I toooold you that there wasn't any reason, Naegi. You're normally super believing, why won't you believe me now?"

He turned to face her. "This time, I choose to doubt despair and believe in hope. This world... I'll ensure that it stays hopeful!"

He opened his eyes.

Junko smirked.

They were a swirl of neverending black and white.

/

Komaeda stared at Naegi from afar. They had grown so close, yet... Naegi ignored him as if he was a bag of trash on the ground. It caused him so much pain. His precious kouhai, Naegi Makoto, the brightest hope that he knew of... somehow, he seemed different. Not enough for a person to be able to pick apart the changes and point them out one by one, but enough for a friend to feel unsettled when around him. He was still optimistic, naive, and believed in people too much. But it seemed to be even more extreme than before, when he still knew when to stop. Now, he would stay motivated no matter how bad of a situation he and the others were in and infect the others will a false sense of hope that only drew them darker into despair.

 _He sure has changed. I seem to be the only one who noticed. I'm sure his hope will only grow stronger after this... but that Junko Enoshima, she really did it this time, didn't_ she. He turned and walked away from Naegi. A strong breeze blew.

 _But... I believe in Naegi-kun. I believe that he'll come back with a hope even stronger than before. Despair is just a stepping stone for hope, after all._

/

The dancing flames reflected on his dark orbs. His soot covered face stared at the burning building in shock. His wet cheeks only smudged the grime more.

"The darker the despair, the brighter the hope will be in the end, right?" The corners of his mouth twitched erratically. He was on the cusp of a gleeful laugh. Then, his mouth shut tight.

"Who am I kidding. Hope, despair... what good does it do, when my luck just kills everybody?" He held his hand out in front of him. Blood that had splattered from a classmate ran down the lines etched into his skin. "I can never do anything for them... in the end, they all just die."

He fell to the ground and hugged his knees, shivering despite the heat from the blaze. "Why is trash like me alive? All of those bright hopes... they had futures ahead of them... why am I the one who gets to survive?" He snickered. "I, with my talent of luck, get to live. How unlucky that is for me."

He lied with his face skyward for a long time. The smoke eventually thinned out and the surroundings grew darker as the fire slowly extinguished. The stars twinkled above him, beckoning him to follow. Wistfully, he muttered, "If only I could..."

There was one building among the others that had not been felled. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a light flicker in one of its windows. He shot up, staring at the petite, black silhouette. Then, the window opened. The figure leaned out with a megaphone to his mouth and shouted, "Hi, Komaeda-senpai!"

His ears twitched. _Naegi-kun._ Komaeda brushed his behind and turned his back on him.

"That's mean, senpai!" A girly voice chided. "You have to be nicer to your kouhais!

"I have no obligation to be kind to you."

Mukuro's sharp ears picked up his voice from miles away. "Junko-chan, do you want me to-"

"Shut up, you dirty whore."

"Give me the mic for a second... u-um, Komaeda-senpai!"

He finally stopped and turned around; Naegi's voice was impossible to resist. Although the darkness enveloped Komaeda like a cloud, the few burning embers provided enough light for Naegi to be able to see the pure sorrow on his face.

Naegi was taken aback for a moment. Then, he continued to speak, "We've sent for the Future Foundation Members to come search for survivors. They should be here soon. I... we are going to be broadcasting a killing game to the entire world from tomorrow onwards. We'll have our classmates brainwashed to lose their memories and..." He stopped. "You'll see. But it's all so their hopes grow stronger! You said it yourself- the greater the despair, the strongest the hope. And, Komaeda-senpai, one last thing." He laughed sheepishly. "I'm sorry for ignoring you all that time. I felt this inexplicable nervousness when I tried to interact with you, and..." He smiled brightly. "I came to realize that I love you. Please stay safe out there." The figures backed away from the window after shutting it closed. Putting some kind of covering on it, all light shining out from within was blocked and Komaeda was alone once more.

Gritting his teeth, he returned to his fetal position again. All around him, all he could see was black. There was not a trace of the fire that had been roaring hours ago other than the abandoned buildings themselves. He couldn't help but hope that, maybe, the cold would kill him. He would go to sleep and never wake up. His luck would never affect anyone again. He wouldn't feel the excruciating pain of losing a loved one ever again. And he wouldn't have to relive the memories of his kouhai when he was still himself, still hopeful, still... with him.

Suddenly, all the tension left his body. His eyes closed by themselves and his salty tears flowed over his face in a shape much like that of a delta. As much as he wanted to die, he knew it wouldn't happen. His luck wouldn't let him. But him living would be extreme bad luck. So what would happen next to counteract it?

"Naegi, I... love... you... too..."

/

 _Komaeda bounded around on the sidewalk with a leash secured tightly in his hand. "Lucky! Don't sniff that lamppost, that's dirty!"_

 _"Nagito, you seem to get along very well with Lucky."_

 _"Of course! He's_ my _dog after all!"_

 _"We always seem to have good luck when Lucky is here with us! Heh. But really, look! It's a white light."_

 _"Nice one, dad!" Komaeda laughed, Lucky walking beside him. They were a bit behind the couple, who walked at a faster pace._

 _They were halfway across the street. It seemed completely void of cars._

 _Then, out of nowhere, a truck hurled out from a nearby corner and sped towards the four. The driver's eyes were wide open and his head lolled to the side. Through an autopsy, it was later revealed that he had suffered a heart attack just as he turned the corner._

 _"Nagito!"_

 _"Mommy! Daddy!"_

 _Komaeda's parents whirled around and reached for Komaeda, but he was too far. He screamed in terror, realizing that he was about to die._

 _Then, it happened._

 _By some miraculous circumstance, the truck switched direction ever so slightly without any movement from the driver, who was incapable of doing such a thing anyway. It was later revealed that an especially sharp rock punctured the tire at the moment and caused the truck to move and narrowly miss Komaeda by a span of a couple of centimeters at most._

 _It hit only Lucky instead._

 _Komaeda hugged the mangled corpse of his beloved golden retriever. He sobbed, "Lucky, hang in there! No, don't die... don't leave me, Lucky!"_

 _His mother ran to his side and embraced him. "Honey, I'm so sorry... oh, honey... but thank god that you're unhurt."_

 _"If you want another one, we could get you one. Money isn't a problem if it's for our son."_

 _"No dog can replace Lucky," Komaeda insisted, wiping his eyes. "He was a special dog."_

 _"Yes, he was very special, wasn't he?"_

 _"He always helped me when I needed help and... whenever I just fell over randomly, he would bark to alert everyone, and..." He was unable to speak anymore._

 _"Nagito. I'm calling 119. I'll make sure they get him ready for us to properly pay our respects to him. Is that alright?"_

 _He sniffled. "Okay. Lucky wouldn't want me to be sad, would he?"_

 _"No, son. Seeing you upset always saddened him."_

 _He tearfully smiled. "Then I'll make sure to-"_

Darkness.

 _..._

Komaeda bolted upright. His breathing was rough and extremely unstable. The bright lights surrounding him disoriented him even more so.

"That dream seemed so real." His eyes blankly looked around him, not noticing the tall man nor the fact that he had been moved to an entirely new area.

"Awake now? You've been asleep for quite some time."

Komaeda turned towards the source. "Who are you?" Finally realizing that he was no longer at Hope's Peak, he added, "...and where am I?"

The tall man had silver hair that reached just above his cold, light blue eyes. He was in formal attire, with a white suit jacket and pants paired with a blue dress shirt. Komaeda couldn't help but notice his tie, which had some sort of strange black pattern on it that reminded him of his own trademark white shirt.

"I'm Munakata Kyosuke, vice-leader of the Future Foundation and leader of the 2nd branch. You're currently in the Future Foundation hospital area."

"Am I the only survivor?"

"No. Miraculously, all of your classmates managed to survive. It seems that Mikan had enough energy in her to go around and tend to everyone's wounds. Currently, she's deep in a coma but it's likely that she'll be up in a few days."

Komaeda's eyes widened. "Hey, I know I'm trash, but isn't pulling a joke like this going a little too far?"

"It isn't a joke."

The door slid open smoothly. Chiaki was being pushed by a nurse. Her wheelchair was equipped with a multitude of gadgets to keep her occupied during the day.

"Good morning, Komaeda-kun. How are you?" She smiled gently. "The others are all banged up, but they're alive. It's nice to see that you are, too."

Komaeda choked. "Nanami-san, were your legs crushed by a falling support beam?"

"Ding ding ding! You hit the jackpot!"

"Nanami-san, I'm so sorry... because of my talent, everyone is..."

"Everyone is _alive_ , Komaeda-kun. That's all that matters. And... you know what? I think it's _your_ luck that kept us alive." The nurse leaned down and whispered something into Chiaki's ear. "Oh, I have something to do that I forgot about. See you, Komaeda-kun!" She exited the room.

Munakata interrupted Komaeda's sobbing. "They call you 'Hope-Man.' Why's that?"

"I really like hope." He took a deep breath. "My luck has karmic cycles of good and bad, which I'm sure an Ultimate like you already knows about. This usually leads to something bad happening to those I care about around me. My family, my dog, even complete strangers... I'm drenched head to toe in blood. So when I learned of hope, it resonated with something inside of me. Believing ceaselessly in happier times... it's a wonderful thing. I thought that, no matter how strong the despair, hope would only grow stronger and win in the end." He looked into Munakata's eyes. "I was wrong."

"But that hope wasn't really all there was to you, was it?"

He cocked his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"I've heard that you're more intelligent than you let on, but that will have to be tested. In any case, you'll be joining the Future Foundation and helping us out. A suit, along with a set of instructions, has been placed in your room. I'll see you tomorrow."

Komaeda watched his retreating back. _I wonder how much help I'll be._

"Oh, and one more thing." Munakata stared at Komaeda. "Naegi Makoto. What is he to you, and what are his plans?"

"His plans... he doesn't have any. He just wrongly believes that he is making others more hopeful when, in actuality, he is filling them with despair. And as for our relationship..." Komaeda's hurt was apparent. "We're star-crossed lovers. I don't believe in such things, but... it's almost as if our destinies are written to end terribly, the way things have been going." He plopped back down onto the bed and turned to face the wall, burying himself under the soft, white sheets.

Munakata stared at him for a moment longer before leaving his room.

 _Naegi-kun. You may be on_ her _side now, but I'll make you return to how you were before. Even if trash like me didn't assist, you'd definitely come back. But I'll just try to speed up the process by working earnestly from tomorrow onwards._

 _It may seem that we're fated to end in tragedy, but maybe... destiny can change._

 _All we can do is embrace the despair that is now and look out for hope in the upcoming future._


	12. 11 (coming back together 1)

**I'm sorry for not updating in so long! I've been busy with school and whatnot, and before I knew it, it was February... As always, thank you so much for your reviews! They brighten up my day when I read them. This chapter is the first part of two (or more, possibly) chapters, so it'll be kinda weird. Hope you enjoy!**

"Naegi-kun!" Komaeda ran after Naegi, sprinting. His white hair flopped around in the wind and sweat rolled off his face in buckets. "Naegi-kun, please... wait!" He tripped over his own feet and landed face first on the brick pathway.

Naegi gave in and turned to look at Komaeda. "..." He knelt next to Komaeda and offered him a hand up. Komaeda gratefully accepted and pulled himself to his feet. "Are you okay, Komaeda-kun?"

"Yes. Thank you for asking." He dusted himself off.

"What do you need me for?"

"Naegi-kun. Whenever I look at you, my heart clenches up, and I don't why- I mean, of course I respect and adore you as a person, you are the Ultimate Hope, after all!- but that wouldn't be enough to cause this pain in my chest. Were we, by any chance, very close? Friends, perhaps?"

It was subtle, but Naegi tensed up slightly. "Yes. Do you not remember?"

"It's a shame, but I don't remember a thing. How terrible of me..." He shook his head. "I'm sure I'll remember sure enough!" He laughed.

His laughter died when he noticed the pain in Naegi's eyes. There was only a hint of it within the murky green, like one fish within an entire ocean.

"Naegi-kun? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong." He smiled. "Then, see you tomorrow! We're going to have a lot of work to do, so make sure to rest well!"

Komaeda watched his back grow smaller in the distance. Did he say something wrong? What could it be?

He froze.

Why had he chased after the boy in the first place? He could have asked him the next day at work. And why did Naegi run from him, almost as if he was afraid?

Was this something that could be answered if he remembered that blank period of time in his mind and what happened on the island?

Questions swarmed through his brain, pounding every corner of his mind and begging to be answered.

/

Komaeda walked out the front door of his cabin, all dressed at ready for work at the Future Foundation/

"Komaeda! Looking snazzy!" Hinata bumped him in the shoulder. "Why the long face?"  
"Ah, it's... it's nothing..." He looked away from the heterochromatic eyes that bore into him, searching for answers.

"Alright. If anything's bothering you, feel free to tell me, okay?"

"Me, talking to someone like you... that's a bit..."

Hinata muttered quietly, "I should have expected this." He spoke louder, "Komaeda, we're friends, you know? It's different from when we were on the isla- never mind." He shook his head.

"On the island? Hinata-kun, do you remember the events from the Neo World Program?"

He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Slip of the mouth. You aren't supposed to know this. I'm not allowed to tell anyone what happened."

"Is that so?" He already had plans formulating in his head. "Would you stop me if I tried to figure out on my own?"

"No. Even if I tried to, you'd probably find out by yourself anyway."

"Ahaha... is that a compliment?"

"Yeah, and you better not deny it. That stupid luck of yours... not to mention your crazy brain... h-hey! Don't look at me like that!" His face flushed in embarrassment. "And here I was trying to make you feel better... forget it. I have to go right from here, anyway. You go left, right? See you." He turned on his heels and walked away, his shoes making loud clacking sounds as he went. He looked back for a moment and shouted, "Don't do anything reckless!"

Before Komaeda could reply, Hinata had already disappeared into whichever branch office room he belonged to.

/

Komaeda quickly worked through mountains of paperwork. Initially, he had been assigned to the 5th Division- his superior luck would definitely get them the information they needed quickly. But the leaders soon realized that his luck would destroy anything in his path, and while his path to the intel would be clear, there would be many angry enemies coming after the Future Foundation soon after.

Thus, he was moved to the third division- he could have fun researching talents in there, and his smarts (as well as his "instincts") were good enough to be able to pick apart the talented from the untalented. He had, however, learned to appreciate the talentless too- they weren't _completely_ useless, he had learned. They were just normal.

Komaeda leaned back in his chair, resting for a moment. The Future Foundation had changed a lot from how it originally was, or so he had heard. They still kept the system of divisions, but the organization was mostly centered around the New Hope's Peak instead of the entire world. The school building itself was also located on the main Jabberwock Island, but it was on the other side.

Hand no longer fatigued, he breezed through his work. This kind of work was very relaxing to him- he just read a couple of papers and wrote his impressions. It was calm and relaxed. It was almost impossible for his luck to affect something while he was doing this.

He was so absorbed in his work that by the next time he looked up, it was sunset. Red streaks of light filtered through the white blinds.

"I guess I should head home."

He walked through the empty halls, appreciating the quite solitude and peaceful atmosphere.

This was, not quite unfortunately, broken by Hinata. "Oii, Komaeda!" He sprinted out of a nearby door and collided with the boy, pushing them onto the floor, with Hinata on top and Komaeda on bottom.

"Hinata-kun?" Komaeda looked up at him in surprise. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel that way towards you."

He jumped off of him, cheeks a rosy pink. "Sorry, Komaeda. I'm in a rush." He helped him up to his feet. "Could you do a little favor for me?"

/

 _He told me to find a pamphlet about Jabberwock Island... and a... memory notebook?_

Komaeda glanced at the bookshelf in distaste. The normally vibrant wooden planks and spines of books were drowning in dust. For whatever reason, he had a pulsating urge to grab the nearest duster and clean the entire room, but who knew how long it'd take him to clean the entire library? There were books imported from all over the world, filling bookshelves in every direction as far as the eye could see... a beautiful place, really. If only it was tidy.

His leg was caught by a loose wire and he tripped forward. In a bid to break his fall, he reached to his side and hoped he'd grabbed a shelf. Unfortunately, his hand grasped the spine of a book that was jutting out a tiny bit more than the others, and his fall was not lessened in any way.

He fell onto the ground with a loud _thud_. Although the impact was great, he found that, somehow, it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would.

He looked at the book that he had firmly within his grasp. It had a black cover with the Hope's Peak Academy symbol emblazoned on it.

He needed to get back to searching. He needed to.

But he couldn't let go of that book.

There was a searing pain at the back of his head, like something was trying to protrude out of it and escape from within the confines of his mind. He felt his hands shake and breathing quicken.

He could feel it. Something was coming.

Then, he remembered. Like a spear of truth running through his guts, all of his memories returned in one, swift blow.

All those horrible things he did on the island- no, the Neo World Problem. How he messed with everyone, how he had someone killed, how he treated Hinata like some lowlife scum... everything. He remembered everything.

But most important of all were the memories of him and Naegi during their school days.

Was he even supposed to remember? No doubt, they lost their memories for a reason. Or perhaps it was only him? There was always a feeling that the others knew something more than him.

A scream was ripped out of him by some otherworldly being. It would've been better if he had remembered one thing at a time, but all of the painful memories came back all at once.

His vision grew fuzzy and he suddenly found himself on the floor again. Against his own will, his eyelids slowly drooped and blocked out any outside light from coming in.

Uncharacteristically weary from his new revelations, his body forced itself to get some sleep.

/

"Komaeda-kun! Komaeda-kun!"

Komaeda opened his eyes to see a brunette crouching over him. His memories were still haunting him and he felt extremely sick and groggy, almost as if he had a hangover. It took him a moment to register who the person was. "Oh! Hello, Naegi-kun."

"Hinata-kun, he's awake."

Hinata walked over to where the two of them were, taking note of the black book that lied on the ground a couple of feet away. "Good morning."

"Don't you hate me?" Komaeda questioned.

"No." Hinata smiled. "Quite the opposite, actually. I'm glad we can be friends now."

Komaeda chuckled silently to himself. He had forgotten about the great hopes of Kamukura Izuru and Hinata Hajime.

"Komaeda-kun, we need to get you patched up." Naegi offered him a hand and just managed to pull Komaeda to his feet. "I don't think you've noticed, but... you're bleeding from the head."

Komaeda wiped at his forehead and noticed that his suit sleeve was heavier and a bit redder in color.

"But thank god you woke up, Komaeda. You should've seen Naegi before. He was screaming and sobbing like some-"

Naegi flushed a tomato red. "L-let's get going. You can lean on us for support." He slung Komaeda's arm over his own.

Now that he took a closer look at his face, his eyes really were slightly swollen. Komaeda inwardly smirked at the fact that someone had cried for him.

Hinata looped Komaeda's arm over his. "Then, let's get going, shall we?"

/

"Thank you, Mikan-san."

Mikan's cheeks became a warm, rosy hue. "Eheheheh... if," she switched back to a more serious demeanor, "anything comes up with the wound, say, for example, an infection, don't hesitate to call me. You're lucky that those two found you so quickly. Your body is already..." she stopped herself when Hinata glanced at her. "...nevermind."

"You screamed so loudly; I think you woke up everyone on the island!" Naegi chuckled. "When we found you, you were on the ground out cold with blood staining your white hair... for a second I thought someone had killed you by smashing your head in with a blunt object, I was so shocked." He spit out a rush of words.

"Naegi," Hinata interrupted, "Sorry, but could you leave the room for a bit? I need to ask Komaeda about what happened last night."

Without a second thought, Naegi got up and headed towards the door, saying, "Of course! Just tell me when you're done. We have more work to do today."

Hinata waited for a couple of moments after the door shut. The room was so silent that Hinata swore Komaeda could hear the sweat rolling down his face from the sweltering summer heat.

"Komaeda. You remembered, didn't you?"

"What makes you think that, Hinata-kun?" Komaeda tilted his head, intrigued.

"I saw the book. Remember that I'm also Izuru Kamukura now. I don't need you to point out all the details anymore." He spoke with a slight bitterness to his tone.

"Of course Hinata-kun would notice. I'm sure that you would've noticed even if you weren't merged with Izuru. Is it safe to assume you haven't forgiven me?"

"That isn't it at all." Hinata insisted. "I just get ticked off whenever I think about how you treated me in the simulation."

Komaeda smiled. "I'm sorry. Would you like to start over?"

"Sure."

He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Komaeda Nagito."

He shook his fist. "I'm Hinata Hajime, I hope we get along."

The two boys burst into laughter. "That was almost disgustingly cheesy," Komaeda remarked.

"You're the one who suggested it!"

They continued to laugh and fool around for a while more.

"Sorry to be a party pooper, but I need to know to what extent you've recovered your memories."

 _Party pooper...?_ "It's okay."

"Do you remember your school days?"

"Yes. Quite clearly."

"Then... do you remember dating Naegi?"

"Yes." Komaeda's eyes sparkled. "I thought that was just my mind lying to me but I suppose it's been confirmed."

"Naegi has been pretty saddened by you forgetting him, so you better make it up to him." Hinata lightly hit Komaeda on the shoulder. "Good for you! You're getting the hope that you love so much."

Komaeda blushed.

"And, well... unless you told him while you were dating, he's unaware about your physical ailments and such."

"Ah."

There was a quiet knocking at the door, signalling that it as time for Hinata to leave.

"Alright then, loverboy. See you later."

/


	13. 12 (coming back together 2)

**Here's part two! This was supposed to be released on Valentine's, but procrastination struck.**

 **This is _slightly_ crack and there's slight smut. As always, thank you for reading! Enjoy!**

Komaeda groaned. What had he gotten himself into?

"C'mon, just one drink, Komaeda! One drink!"

Hinata was very drunk. He had one too many Screwdrivers as a result of having a drinking contest with the other boys. It wasn't surprising that his cocktail of choice had orange juice as a main ingredient. In fact, Komaeda couldn't help but wonder where his love of orange juice stemmed from.

It surprised him that a man of so many talents couldn't hold his liquor.

"No thanks, Hinata-kun," he politely declined. "Just like a certain somebody, I can't hold my liquor."

"I'm not drunk!" Hinata insisted. "The world _is_ spinning, though."

Komaeda looked around the party hall, checking to see if there was anyone he could talk to without having to be afraid of having drinks shoved down his throat. Unfortunately, the ones who weren't drunk were the ones who were likely to purposely get him drunk, just to see what he'd be like. Saiyonji, for example. There's no way he'd get away with his dignity intact if she force fed him alcohol.

Thus, he decided that it'd be safer to stay with the drunk Hinata and co.

"Bartender! Could I get another Screwdriver?" Hinata asked. "This is the stuff of the gods!"

"Hinata, you're going to have a really bad hangover tomorrow," Komaeda warned.

"The stuff of the gods!"

The bartender handed over the drink while eyeing Komaeda with pity.

"Don't you have to give a speech tomorrow?" Komaeda questioned.

"Yeah, but a speech is a speech, and a party is a party!" He laughed and was about to take a swig from his glass when Komaeda snatched it from his hand.

"Hinata-kun," he said dangerously, "It's okay if you only harm yourself because you're being stupid, but the hope of the world is at stake, you know?"

"But..."

"But wha-"

"Gotcha!" Hinata tipped the glass to Komaeda's lips and the orangey yellow liquid filled his mouth up. With nowhere else to direct it to, Komaeda couldn't help but swallow.

"See? Tastes good, doesn't it? Komaeda?" He paused and repeated worriedly when the other didn't respond, "Komaeda?"

"..." Komaeda stared at Hinata. His face was an overbearing red, and heat radiated from his body.

"I didn't know you were this bad at drinking."

Komaeda stood up from his seat. "Thanks, Hinata-kun. You've opened my eyes."

"Komaeda?! Where are you going?"

"I'm... I'm going to his side." He stared off into the distance at a certain younger man. "I need to tell him. I... need to." He left Hinata confused in his seat and walked across the hall.

"Naegi-kun."

"Ko-Komaeda-kun?" Naegi looked at him, surprised at how red he was. "Are you okay? You're very red."

Komaeda grabbed his wrist. "We need to talk. Somewhere private."

"O...okay? Lead the way," he smiled.

None of the Future Foundation members noticed Komaeda dragging Naegi by the hand out of the banquet hall.

"Komaeda-kun, where are we going?"

Without answering him, Komaeda slammed his palms against the wall, trapping Naegi. "I've remembered. Everything." He looked Naegi in the eyes.

"So you have, huh." He laughed. There was a bit of a melancholic ring to it.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry about everything I've done."

"Don't worry about it. Everybody makes mistakes."

"No, don't smile at me like that," he growled. "I don't deserve this."

There was no change in his facial expression.

"What did I do to ever deserve you?" Komaeda's vision grew blurry with tears.

"You were yourself."

"I kept secrets from you."

"Doesn't everybody?"

"Your sister."

"She's forgiven you for it, as have I."

"I-I-"

"Shh..." Naegi wrapped his arms around Komaeda and patted his back. "I love you. I always have, and I always will."

"S-say that again."

"I love you."

"I don't believe you."

"I love you."

"I've never been loved before. Not after my parents and my pet dog."

"Why won't you just believe me?" Naegi let go of his embrace and pecked Komaeda on his cheek. "I'm telling you that I love you."

Komaeda stared at Naegi for a while in silence. He didn't know if it was the alcohol thinking or him, but all he could see was the most beautiful man in the world standing right in front of him. Something roared to life within him.

He pushed Naegi against the wall and smashed his lips against Naegi's. Their lips melded together and the heat was almost unbearable.

Komaeda poked at Naegi's teeth with his tongue, requesting entry. Reluctantly, he parted his lips further and their tongues met in a swirl of lost time and love.

Naegi tried to push Komaeda away. "Can't- brea-"

Komaeda got the gist of it and pulled away slowly, a string of saliva connecting them. "Sorry. I couldn't control myself."

Naegi's legs shook, overwhelmed by what had just happened. "W-what if somebody saw?"

"If that's what you're worried about, we can just go to someplace more private." He scooped up Naegi into a bridal carry.

"H-huh? B-b-but-"

"If you aren't okay with it I won't do anything."

"Is this what you want?"

"Yes."

Naegi thought for a moment. "Okay, then. Take me."

"Don't regret it."

/

Naegi sank into the bed with a soft _pomf_.

Despite the situation they were in, he still found the time to be his usual self. "Your room looks nice," he commented.

"Ah, that's right. We share favorite colors, don't we?" He threw his suit jacket onto the floor and kneeled on the bed, crawling over to where Naegi sat.

Naegi attempted to keep a straight face as Komaeda approached him. "Y-yeah... dark red and dark gree- hya!" His voice pitched upwards when Komaeda licked his ear.

Pulling away, Komaeda asked, "Should we turn off the lights? Would it be more comfortable for you?"

"It would be."

Komaeda got off of him and flicked off the lights. Moonlight streamed in from outside and gave an unearthly glow to Naegi's small frame.

"There's no going back. I really won't be able to stop myself," Komaeda warned.

Naegi spread out his arms and beckoned for him to embrace him. "I'm yours."

/

Komaeda stared at the sparkling, pink horizon. The fiery red sun jutted into the dark blue of night, casting it away. The ocean swayed to the beat of a silent song. Seagulls skimmed the surface of the water in hopes of digging their talons into some breakfast.

The beauty of it all was so captivating. Just a couple of years back, _he_ was one of the main causes people couldn't kick back and relax. But here he was, leaning on the balcony railing of some high class hotel that served as the dormitories for the people he once considered his enemies.

His good fortune appalled him. He had a stable job, friends he could trust, the world had forgiven him, and most importantly, he had Naegi. Considering the string of good events surrounding him lately, he was afraid of what to expect next.

He shook his head.

"Naegi?"

He was bundled up in a mess of white comforter with only his brown hair sticking out. Komaeda chuckled and walked back inside.

"Wake up, Naegi," he whispered. "The sun is rising. We need to get to work."

"Five more minutes..." Naegi mumbled.

Komaeda bent down and licked his ear.

"HYAA!" Naegi leapt up and banged his head with Komaeda's. "O-okay, I'm awake, I'm awake."

"Get dressed. It's a big day, remember? Hinata-kun's speech, then your speech, then..."

"You aren't in a suit either."

"Ah, they said we could come in any attire that we feel comfortable in. That goes for the speech-givers as well."

"Really? I didn't know..."

"That's because you were sleeping like a rock when the text was sent out," Komaeda teased.

"And whose fault is that?"

"That would be mine, of course." Komaeda laughed. "Here, a coffee. And I figured you'd rather wear your casual clothes instead of a suit, so I went to your room and brought them. They're on the chair over there."

Naegi sipped his coffee. "Thanks. How did you get into my room?"

"I got lucky. I found the master key on the floor."

"Of course," He laughed. "You should get going first. You have to help set up, right?"

"Yeah. Can you walk by yourself?"

Naegi took a tentative step out of the bed. "I think so."

"Alright. If you need anything, call me, okay?" Komaeda kissed his forehead. "I'll get going now."

"See you soon." Naegi hobbled over to his clothes and smiled.

It'd been a while since he'd been able to wear these.

/


End file.
